At least 120 people were killed and about 100 injured in a stampede in central Seoul on Saturday as thousands packed narrow streets to celebrate Halloween, officials said.
Fire official Choi Seong-beom said the stampede took place around 10:22 p.m. (1322 GMT) and many of the victims were trampled to death.
“The high death toll was a result of many being trampled during the Halloween event,” Choi said, adding that the death toll could rise.
Officials had previously said 50 people went into cardiac arrest and that more than 140 ambulances were dispatched to the scene to help the victims.
The Itaewon district is a popular destination for people celebrating Halloween in the South Korean capital.
President Yoon Suk-yeol ordered officials to dispatch first aid teams and quickly secure hospital beds for those affected, the presidential office said.
– First aid in an emergency –
Video footage from the scene of the crush showed people administering first aid to several victims who appeared to be lying on the sidewalk, while rescue workers rushed to the aid of others.
Police in yellow jackets formed a cordon around the scene of the crush and rescue workers loaded the victims – some of whom were covered with blankets – into ambulances.
Around two dozen people were completely covered with makeshift blankets at the side of the road.
Rescue workers carried them on wheeled stretchers to waiting ambulances.
This year’s Halloween marks the first celebration of the event since the outbreak of the 2020 pandemic, during which South Koreans are not required to wear face masks outdoors.
