SEOUL- (MaraviPost)– At least 146 people have died and over 150 more were injured after being crushed by a large crowd pushing forward on a narrow street during the Halloween celebrations in South Korea.
The chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department, Choi Seong-beom confirmed the toll adding that the death toll could rise as unspecified number among the injured were still in critical condition.
According to the CBS report, nearly 100,000 people gathered in Itaewon for the country’s biggest outdoor Halloween festivities since the pandemic began before they started pushing forward in a narrow alley in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhoods.
Fire Department official Choi Seong-beom revealed that the stampede occurred around 10:00 pm (1300 GMT) and many of the victims were women in their 20s.
Choi Seong-beom added that seventy-four of the dead had been sent to hospitals while the bodies of the remaining victims were sent to hospitals or a gym where family members will be identifying them.
More than 1,700 response personnel from across the country were deployed, including about 520 firefighters and 1,100 police officers and 70 government workers following the incident.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a statement calling for officials to ensure swift treatment for those injured and review the safety of the festivity sites.
Yoon Suk Yeol has also instructed the Health Ministry to swiftly deploy disaster medical assistance teams and secure beds in nearby hospitals to treat the injured.