A crowd stampede in the South Korean capital of Seoul on Saturday night claimed the lives of 146 people and injured 150 more.
According to the local fire department, the unfortunate incident occurred during Halloween celebrations.
The incident occurred in a narrow alley near the Hamilton Hotel in the Itaewon District, the city’s most international district, near the Yongsan Garrison US military base.
According to local media, the area had become so crowded that rescuers could not immediately reach the victims and attempt resuscitation.
According to the Korea Herald, approximately 100,000 people flocked to the area throughout the day to commemorate the first Halloween weekend without the mask mandate and social distancing measures imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic. The exact cause of the stampede is unknown.
The victims were taken to a number of hospitals in the capital. According to Yonhap, many of them are women in their twenties, with one being a ten-year-old girl.
Shortly after the tragedy, President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency response meeting.
“The top priority is transporting and rescuing the patients and providing prompt medical treatment for the affected people,” he said, according to a spokesperson.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon has cut short his trip to Europe and decided to return to the city, officials said.