At least 146 dead, 150 injured in stampede during Halloween festivities in Seoul - CBS News

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At slightest 146 radical were killed and 150 others were injured successful a stampede during Halloween festivities successful Seoul, officials said of 1 of the biggest disasters successful South Korea that volition apt rise superior questions astir nationalist information standards.

The monolithic decease toll is being tallied aft radical were crushed by a ample assemblage pushing guardant successful a constrictive alley successful Seoul's Itaewon neighborhoods, a large leisure and night-life territory successful the capital.

Choi Seong-beom, main of Seoul's Yongsan occurrence department, said the decease toll could emergence and that an unspecified fig among the injured were successful captious conditions pursuing the stampede successful Itaewon connected Saturday night.

He said that the bodies were being sent to hospitals oregon a gym, wherever bereaved household members could place them. He earlier said astir of the dormant and injured are successful their 20s.

Rescue squad and firefighters enactment connected the country wherever dozens of radical were injured successful a stampede during Halloween festival successful Seoul

More than 1,700 effect unit from crossed the state were deployed, including astir 520 firefighters and 1,100 constabulary officers and 70 authorities workers. The National Fire Agency said successful a connection that each of Seoul's disposable exigency workers person been mobilized.

An estimated 100,000 radical gathered successful Itaewon — adjacent a erstwhile office of U.S. subject forces successful an country known for trendy bars, clubs and restaurants — for the country's biggest outdoor Halloween festivities since the pandemic began. The South Korean authorities eased COVID-19 restrictions successful caller months.

One subsister said galore radical fell and toppled connected to 1 different "like dominos" aft being pushed by different radical successful a constrictive downhill alley adjacent Itaewon's Hamilton Hotel. The survivor, surnamed Kim, said immoderate radical shouted "Help me!" and others were abbreviated of breath. Kim described being trampled by different radical for astir 1 ½ hours earlier being rescued, according to the Seoul-based Hankyoreh newspaper.

Another survivor, named Lee Chang-kyu, said helium saw astir 5 to six men commencement pushing others earlier 1 oregon 2 began falling 1 by 1 astatine the commencement of the stampede, according to the newspaper.

The stampede is the biggest catastrophe since 304 people, mostly precocious schoolhouse students, died successful a ferry sinking successful April 2014. The sinking exposed lax information rules and regulatory failures arsenic it was partially blamed connected excessive and poorly fastened cargo and a unit poorly trained for exigency situations. Friday's stampede volition apt origin nationalist disapproval of authorities officials implicit what they've done to amended nationalist information standards since the ferry disaster.

Stampede during Halloween festival successful Seoul

TV footage and photos showed ambulance vehicles lined up successful streets amid a dense constabulary beingness and exigency workers moving the injured successful stretchers. Emergency workers and pedestrians were besides seen performing CPR connected radical lying successful the streets. In 1 section, paramedics were seen checking the presumption of a twelve oregon much radical who lied motionless nether bluish blankets.

In an interrogation with quality transmission YTN, Hwang Min-hyeok, 1 of the visitors to Itaewon, said it was shocking to spot rows of bodies laid down successful the alley adjacent Hamilton Hotel. He said exigency workers were initially overwhelmed, leaving pedestrians struggling to administer CPR to the injured lying connected the streets. People cried beside bodies, helium said.

Another subsister successful his 20s said helium avoided being trampled arsenic helium luckily got into a barroom whose doorway was unfastened astatine the alley, Yonhap quality bureau reported. A pistillate successful her 20s surnamed Park told Yonhap that she and others were lasting on the broadside of the alley portion others were caught successful the middle.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a connection calling for officials to guarantee swift attraction for those injured and reappraisal the information of the festivity sites. He besides instructed the Health Ministry to swiftly deploy catastrophe aesculapian assistance teams and unafraid beds successful adjacent infirmary to dainty the injured.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government issued exigency substance messages urging radical successful the country to swiftly instrumentality home.

There person been deadly stampedes successful South Korea successful the past. In 2005, 11 radical were killed and astir 60 others were injured successful a popular performance stampede successful the confederate metropolis of Sangju. In 1992, a teenage miss died and dozens of others were injured during a stampede astatine a Seoul performance by the U.S. popular radical New Kids connected the Block.