South Korea Declares National Mourning After 151 Die in Halloween Stampede

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol expressed condolences for the victims, who were mostly in their 20s.

Rescue workers and firefighters try to help survivors after a stampede killed over 150 in South Korea's Seoul on Saturday night, 30 October. 

(Photo: PTI)

Video Producer/Editor: Shohini Bose

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday, 30 October, after a stampede during Halloween celebrations killed at least 151 people and injured over 100 in the capital, Seoul.

Suk-yeol also expressed condolences for the victims, who were mostly in their 20s, and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured persons.

"This is truly tragic. A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night," he said in a statement, as per Reuters.

The incident occurred after a massive crowd celebrating Halloween in the popular Itaewon district went into a narrow alley on Saturday night, leading to many of them getting trapped and crushed.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol visits the scene where dozens of people died and were injured in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday, 29 October. 

(Photo: PTI)

Officials have also said that the death toll may rise, in what is the country's worst disaster in years.

'People Toppled Over Each Other Like Dominos': Survivor

Chief of the Yongsan Fire Station, Choi Sung-beom, said that among the 151 people who died during the tragic incident, 19 were foreigners, from China, Iran, Uzbekistan and Norway. Also, among the people who sustained injuries, at least 19 were in a critical condition.

The Halloween celebrations were the first in three years, after South Korea lifted COVID-19 restrictions. As many as 100,000 people had gathered for the celebrations, as per official estimates.

Several videos on social media showed hundreds of people trapped in the narrow alley, even as emergency officials and the police tried to pull them out.

Rescue workers, firefighters and police officers undertake rescue efforts near the scene of the stampede in Seoul, South Korea.

(Photo: PTI)

One of the survivors said that people fell and toppled over each other "like dominos" after they were pushed by others.

Officials and pedestrians were also seen performing CPR on people lying in the streets after the incident, after they went into cardiac arrest.

Meanwhile, the South Korean president has directed officials to ensure swift treatment for the injured persons.

He also said that the government "will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and make fundamental improvements to ensure the same accident does not occur again in the future".

(With inputs from Reuters.)