Not less than 9 individuals died and dozens had been injured after being crushed by a big crowd pushing ahead on a slim road throughout Halloween festivities within the capital metropolis of Seoul, South Korean officers stated.
Choi Cheon-sik, an official from the Nationwide Fireplace Company, stated round 60 individuals had been reported injured in the course of the crowd surge Saturday evening within the Itaewon leisure district, and the loss of life toll might develop.
YONHAP NEWS AGENCY / REUTERS
Choi stated it was believed that folks had been crushed to loss of life after a big crowd started pushing ahead in a slim alley close to Hamilton Lodge, a significant celebration spot in Seoul.
He stated greater than 400 emergency staff and 140 automobiles from across the nation, together with all obtainable personnel in Seoul, had been deployed to the streets to deal with the injured.
Officers did not instantly launch a loss of life toll, as they often do not till the deaths are confirmed at hospitals. The Nationwide Fireplace Company stated in a press release that officers had been nonetheless attempting to find out the precise variety of emergency sufferers.
TV footage and images from the scene confirmed ambulance automobiles lined up in streets amid a heavy police presence and emergency staff shifting the injured in stretchers. Emergency staff and pedestrians had been additionally seen performing CPR on individuals mendacity within the streets. A number of individuals, apparently amongst these injured, had been seen lined in yellow blankets.
Images printed by Yonhap appeared to point out greater than a dozen individuals mendacity susceptible on a road that had been cordoned off by authorities, with rescue staff tending to a few of them.
Police additionally confirmed that dozens of individuals had been being given CPR on Itaewon streets whereas many others have been taken to close by hospitals.
A neighborhood police officer stated he was additionally knowledgeable {that a} stampede occurred on Itaewon’s streets the place a crowd of individuals gathered for Halloween festivities. The officer requested anonymity, saying the small print of the incident had been nonetheless below investigation.
Some native media studies earlier stated the crush occurred after numerous individuals rushed to an Itaewon bar after listening to an unidentified celeb visited there.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a press release calling for officers to make sure swift remedy for these injured and evaluation the security of the festivity websites. He additionally instructed the Well being Ministry to swiftly deploy catastrophe medical help groups and safe beds in close by hospital to deal with the injured.
Native media stated round 100,000 individuals flocked to Itaewon streets for the Halloween festivities, which had been the largest in years following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in current months.
AFP contributed to this report.
