South Korea in shock and grief as no less than 151 die in Halloween crowd surge

Seoul’s metropolis authorities stated greater than 2,000 folks have referred to as a metropolis workplace in close by Hannam-dong as of noon Saturday, reporting their family as out of contact and asking officers to verify whether or not they have been amongst these injured or useless after the crush.

The useless included 19 foreigners, stated Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fireplace division. Their nationalities weren’t instantly launched.

An estimated 100,000 folks had gathered in Itaewon for the nation’s greatest outside Halloween festivities for the reason that pandemic started and strict guidelines on gatherings have been enforced.

The South Korean authorities eased Covid-19 restrictions in latest months and this was the primary large likelihood to get out and social gathering for a lot of younger folks.

Whereas Halloween isn’t a standard vacation in South Korea, the place kids not often go trick-or-treating, it’s nonetheless a serious attraction for younger adults, and costume events at bars and golf equipment have turn out to be massively in style lately.

Itaewon, close to the place the previous headquarters of US army forces in South Korea operated earlier than transferring out of the capital in 2018, is an expat-friendly district recognized for its fashionable bars, golf equipment and eating places and it’s the metropolis’s marquee Halloween vacation spot.

Officers initially stated 150 folks have been injured as of Sunday morning earlier than later reducing their tally.

Nationwide Hearth Company officers didn’t instantly clarify why the tally was lowered however stated emergency employees would have had a extra correct concept of the casualties as rescue operations proceeded and that a few of the injured would have been transformed to deaths.

It was additionally attainable that a few of those that have been calmly injured had returned residence in a single day and have been now not counted.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a nationwide mourning interval on Sunday and ordered flags at authorities buildings and public places of work to fly at half-mast.

Throughout a televised speech, Mr Yoon stated supporting the households of the victims, together with their funeral preparations, and the remedy of the injured can be a high precedence for his authorities.

He additionally referred to as for officers to completely examine the reason for the accident and evaluation the protection of different massive cultural and leisure occasions, together with regional festivals, to make sure they proceed safely.

“That is actually devastating. The tragedy and catastrophe that needn’t have occurred happened within the coronary heart of Seoul amid Halloween (celebrations),” Mr Yoon stated through the speech.

“I really feel heavy hearted and can’t comprise my disappointment as a president accountable for the folks’s lives and security.”

After the speech, Mr Yoon visited the Itaewon alley the place the catastrophe occurred. Native TV footage confirmed Mr Yoon inspecting the alley crammed with trash and being briefed by emergency officers.

It was not instantly clear what led the group to surge into the slim downhill alley close to the Hamilton Resort, a serious social gathering spot in Seoul.

One survivor stated many individuals fell and toppled each other “like dominos” after they have been pushed by others.

The survivor, surnamed Kim, stated they have been trapped for about an hour and a half earlier than being rescued, as some folks shouted “Assist me!” and others have been wanting breath, in response to the Seoul-based Hankyoreh newspaper.

In an interview with information channel YTN, Hwang Min-hyeok, a customer to Itaewon, stated it was surprising to see rows of our bodies close to the resort.

He stated emergency employees have been initially overwhelmed, leaving pedestrians struggling to manage CPR to the injured mendacity on the streets. Individuals wailed beside the our bodies of their associates, he stated.

The final South Korean catastrophe this lethal additionally hit younger folks the toughest. In April 2014, 304 folks, largely highschool college students, died in a ferry sinking.

The sinking uncovered lax security guidelines and regulatory failures. It was partially blamed on extreme and poorly mounted cargo and a crew poorly educated for emergency conditions. Saturday’s deaths will probably draw public scrutiny of what authorities officers have finished to enhance public security requirements for the reason that ferry catastrophe.

This was the deadliest crushing catastrophe in South Korean historical past. In 2005, 11 folks have been killed and round 60 others have been injured at a pop live performance within the southern metropolis of Sangju.

In 1960, 31 folks died after being crushed on the steps of a prepare station as massive crowds rushed to board a prepare through the Lunar New 12 months holidays.