At least 146 people were killed and another 150 were injured in Seoul, the capital South Koreatrampled and strangled by the Halloween crowd on Saturday night, Yonhap news agency reported.
The crash took place in the bohemian Itaewon district. according to The newspaper “New York TimesIt is estimated that more than 100 thousand people will be concentrated in this area of pedestrian streets with bars, restaurants and nightclubs. It was the first major holiday since South Korea announced it was lifting many of its measures to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
The crowd pressure occurred on a narrower, sloping street near the Itaewon subway station and the Hamilton Hotel. Under the influence of the force of the moving crowd, mthousands of people pushed them forward, many victims fell to the ground, crushed to death. Footage posted on social media shows crowded streets and screams of panic.
Hundreds of rescuers were mobilized to the scene and carried out resuscitation of an undetermined number of victims in the middle of a public road. In more than a hundred cases, the efforts proved fruitless. Late in the evening, the South Korean press showed dozens of bodies under blue sheets lined up in the same streets where the celebrations had been held a few hours earlier.
A gym in the area has been turned into a makeshift morgue. Seoul hospitals are still holding a large number of injured people who have been put on high alert by President Yoon Seok-yeol, who ordered an investigation into the disaster and the safety conditions of this and other street festivals. The head of state held a meeting of emergency services. Korea Times.
The final toll could rise on Sunday as South Korean authorities admit the scene in Itaewon is “still chaotic” hampered by heavy traffic in the area and large numbers of people who have remained outside despite an appeal broadcast by the municipality through messages on mobile phone so that they can return home as soon as possible.
Reuters pointed to the possibility that foreign nationals could be among the victims due to the international popularity of Itaewon, a district whose bohemian tradition began in the post-Korean War years with a US military presence in the country.
It will be the biggest peacetime tragedy in South Korea since the sinking of the ship. Sewolwhich resulted in about 500 deaths in 2014, most of them students.
Heads of State Express Condolences
Like other heads of state such as Joe Biden or Emmanuel Macron, Marcelo Rebelo de Souza sent a message of condolence and solidarity to his South Korean counterpart Yoon Seok-yeol this Saturday over the tragedy in Seoul.
“Having learned about the terrible tragedy that occurred in Seoul, the President of the Republic expressed sincere condolences and words of consolation and solidarity to the families of the victims in a message sent to the President of Korea,” the note says. published on the official page of the Presidium of the Republic.
