The toll of the Halloween massacre continues to rise in Seoul, the capital of South Korea. At least 153 people have died linked to the mob created in the Itaewon district, on the occasion of an event for celebrate Halloween.
The latest update provided by local authorities reports 22 victims of foreign nationality. The South Korean government has instituted 7 days of national mourning for the Seoul disaster. President Yoon Suk-yeol said the tragedy “shouldn’t have happened”. 82 people, mostly young and very young, were injured. The victims – said the authorities – are 97 women and 54 men. Among the foreigners killed are Iranians, Uzbeks, Chinese and Norwegians.
Photo Twitter @galatacla
There are 355 missing person reports after the mob rioted in Itaewon District. This was stated by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, as reported by South Korean news agency Yonhap. Authorities said many of the victims were teenagers and young people in their twenties. Seoul’s Halloween party, the first celebrated indoors and on the streets after the Covid pandemic, has turned into a slaughterhouse. The causes of the deadly uproar are still unclear, but a fire officer claimed a large crowd had gathered in a narrow alley near the Hamilton Hotel because a celebrity had been spotted.
Photo Twitter @alfonso_unial
At one point, something caused panic and hundreds of people were crushed. On the streets of Seoul’s nightlife, apocalyptic scenes have been seen, meanwhile captured by videos that have gone viral on social media around the world. It was a festive Saturday night, the first after three years of bans and restrictions, for young people in the South Korean capital. According to local media, there were 100,000 people in Seoul celebrating. Many masked. At one point, the human snake started to skid, moving like a river in one direction, and there was chaos. People are running everywhere, running over others, shouting and panicking.
Seoul, an unprecedented tragedy
Seoul firefighters first announced that dozens of people had suffered “cardiac arrest”. In South Korea, rescuers speak of cardiac arrest until a doctor officially declares death. More than 140 ambulances arrived on the scene but for many there was nothing to do. More than 400 rescuers from across the country were deployed to the streets to treat the injured. Meanwhile, the Seoul Metropolitan Government issued emergency messages urging people in the area to return home quickly.