'Something terrible is happening': Deadly Halloween crush in Seoul

At slightest 149 radical person died successful a crush arsenic immense Halloween crowds surged into a constrictive thoroughfare successful South Korea's capital, Seoul, officials say.

At slightest 76 were injured successful the incidental successful the Itaewon nightlife country which was holding its archetypal unmasked Halloween celebrations since Covid.

Reports picture a hopeless country of radical caught up successful the crush piling connected apical of each other.

The origin of the catastrophe is inactive being investigated.

After holding an exigency meeting, South Korea's President, Yoon Suk-yeol, ordered a task unit to beryllium acceptable up to assistance dainty the injured.

He besides launched an probe into the origin of the crush.

Several satellite leaders person expressed their condolences. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and French President Emmanuel Macron said their thoughts were with the radical of South Korea.

The EU's main diplomat, Josep Borrell, said helium was profoundly saddened and the US nationalist information adviser, Jake Sullivan, pledged American support.

While Halloween is not a large solemnisation successful South Korea overall, Itaewon, a territory with an planetary taste feel, would person been a highest enactment determination for the festival connected Saturday.

Many young radical were there, immoderate of them dressed successful Halloween costumes, retired to enactment and spell clubbing.

Instead, the country descended into chaos and radical were near distraught and grieving arsenic victims laic nether bluish sheets and exigency services did their work.

Videos from Itaewon amusement assemblage bags placed connected the streets, exigency workers performing CPR, and rescuers trying to propulsion retired radical trapped beneath others.

Jeon Ga-eul, 30, was having a portion astatine a barroom astatine the infinitesimal the crush began.

"My person said: thing unspeakable is happening outside," she told AFP quality agency. "I said: what are you talking about? And past I went extracurricular to spot and determination were radical doing CPR successful the street."

Many of the victims were women successful their twenties. said the caput of Seoul's Yongsan occurrence department, Choi Seong-beom.

The precocious fig of casualties was a effect of "many being trampled" and the decease toll could climb, helium warned.

One video appears to amusement hundreds of radical packed tightly unneurotic successful a narrow, sloping roadworthy successful the district. In another, exigency responders effort to propulsion retired radical from what appears to beryllium a heap of bodies. Cries of distress tin beryllium heard.

Bodies were being sent to adjacent gyms and hospitals to beryllium identified by household members.

All disposable exigency responders successful Seoul person been mobilised, according to the National Fire agency.

A doc who administered archetypal assistance astatine the country said that erstwhile helium had archetypal started performing CPR determination were 2 victims but "the fig exploded soon after, outnumbering the archetypal responders".

Some 100,000 revellers are said to person been successful the country connected Saturday evening.

Social media messages posted earlier successful the evening showed immoderate radical remarking that the Itaewon country was truthful crowded that it felt unsafe.

One witness, Park Jung-Hoon, told Reuters quality bureau that large crowds were mean for Christmas and fireworks solemnisation but "this was respective ten-folds bigger than immoderate of that".

A section writer said that an exigency broadcast had been sent to each mobile telephone successful the Yongsan District urging citizens to instrumentality location arsenic soon arsenic imaginable owed to "an exigency mishap adjacent Hamilton Hotel successful Itaewon".