New Delhi: As many as 120 people died and 100 were injured following a stampede at Halloween parties in Seoul’s Itaewon district on Saturday, news agency IANS reported.
#UPDATE 120 people killed, 100 injured in Seoul Halloween crush: officials pic.twitter.com/ivweswa4Hv
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) October 29, 2022
According to the report, the emergency officials received at least 81 calls from people in Itaewon saying they were facing difficulty breathing. About 50 people are also being administered Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after suffering cardiac arrest.
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.
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
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.
A total of 142 firefighting vehicles have been mobilised for the area.
According to a BBC 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.