Seoul Halloween Stampede: Death Toll Rises To 151. 'We Grieve With Korea,' Says US Prez Joe Biden

The incident reportedly occurred after people rushed to an Itaewon bar after hearing an unidentified celebrity visited there.

The stampede took place near the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon as a large number of people are said to have entered a narrow alley near the hotel.

Source : AFP

New Delhi: As many as 151 people died and several are feared injured following a stampede at Halloween parties in Seoul's Itaewon district on Saturday, news agency ANI reported. The people who died due to the stampede included 19 foreigners from Iran, Uzbekistan, China, and Norway, as reported by Yonhap news agency.

The stampede took place near the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon as a large number of people are said to have entered a narrow alley near the hotel. A total of 142 firefighting vehicles have been mobilised for the area.

The incident reportedly occurred after a large group of people rushed to an Itaewon bar after hearing an unidentified celebrity visited there, Al Jazeera reported citing the local media. Emergency officials received at least 81 calls from people with breathing difficulty, "South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported. About 50 people are also being administered Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after suffering cardiac arrest. 

A large crowd pushed forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities, resulting in dozens needing first aid. South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered the dispatch of the emergency medical team to the area and said hospital beds should be prepared to minimize casualties, his office said.

Social media footage showed several people being assisted by rescue officials and private citizens at the scene, and numerous ones performing CPR on people lying in poor condition on the streets.

The stampede occurred after a huge crowd flocked into the central district of the South Korean capital to celebrate Halloween, which was the biggest in years following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions.

"The death toll could grow as emergency workers continued to transport the injured to hospitals across Seoul following the crowd crush in the entertainment district of Itaewon on Saturday night, chief of Seoul's Yongsan fire department, Choi Seong-beom said in a statement.

US President Offers Condolences Over The Incident

US President Joe Biden offered his deepest condolences after at least 151 people were killed in a stampede at a Halloween event in South Korea, as reported by the news agency Reuters. He calling the incident tragic.

"Jill and I send our deepest condolences to the families who lost loved ones in Seoul. We grieve with the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best wishes for a quick recovery to all those who were injured," he wrote, referring to his wife, first lady Jill Biden.

"The Alliance between our two countries has never been more vibrant or more vital - and the ties between our people are stronger than ever. The United States stands with the Republic of Korea during this tragic time."

President Yoon Suk-yeol Chairs An Emergency Meeting On The Stampede

President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency meeting on the stampede where he directed the officials to swiftly administer first aid and treat the injured, the presidential office said. Yoon also ordered them to deploy emergency medical staff to Itaewon and secure emergency beds.

President Yoon Suk-Yeol presided over an emergency response meeting over a deadly stampede in Seoul's Itaewon district that left 59 Halloween partygoers dead and 150 injured, officials said: South Korea's Yonhap News Agency

— ANI (@ANI) October 29, 2022

PM Han Duck-soo Instructed Officials To Make Efforts To Minimise Damages

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo also instructed officials to make utmost efforts to minimise damages. Meanwhile, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is on a visit to Europe, decided to return home in the wake of the accident, according to the report.

There were 100,000 revellers in the area celebrating their first outdoor no-mask Halloween parties since the Covid-19 pandemic. Social media messages posted earlier in the evening showed some people saying that the Itaewon area was so crowded that it felt unsafe, BBC reported.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Saturday that reports of the Seoul stampede are heartbreaking and that Washington is ready to provide the Republic of Korea with any support it needs in such crucial times.

The White House national security advisor made the remarks on Twitter as he hoped for quick recovery of those injured in the incident. Taking to Twitter, Sullivan wrote, "We are thinking about all those who lost loved ones and hoping for a quick recovery for those injured."

"The United States stands ready to provide the Republic of Korea with any support it needs," he said adding that reports out of Seoul are extremely heartbreaking.

(With agencies’ Inputs)