A Halloween party turned into a nightmare when a stampede on a narrow street in Seoul, South Korea on Saturday left nearly 50 people with heart attacks and many dead.
The incident took place when more than one lakh people attended the Halloween celebrations in the streets of Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea.
Choi Cheon-sik, an official with the National Fire Agency, told the AP that about 100 people were found injured as a crowd gathered in the Itawan holiday district on Saturday night. A fierce stampede saved many people lying on the road and suffering heart failure in the early hours of Sunday.
The situation spiraled out of control when a large crowd started moving in a narrow canyon near the Hamilton Hotel, crushing several people, the official said. The Hamilton Hotel is a major party venue in Seoul.
Emergency officials said they had received 81 calls from people who were experiencing shortness of breath after the accident. Officials are still ascertaining the exact cause and causes of this accident. On getting information, about 140 ambulances reached the spot.
First responders seen doing CPR
Following the news of the incident, which is expected to result in massive casualties, more than 400 emergency workers across the country and all those available in the capital were on the streets to treat the injured. In the video of the incident, several first responders can be seen performing CPR on people scattered on the road.
As of now, officials have not released any official data on accident deaths. Confirming that many of the injured were given CPR on the spot, the police said that many of them were immediately taken to nearby hospitals.
An official, requesting anonymity, told the AP that the details of the incident were still being investigated. They got information that there was a stampede on the streets of Itawan. People thronged the place to celebrate Halloween.
According to a local media report, the stampede took place when a large number of people started marching towards Itawan Bar after hearing about the arrival of an unknown figure.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered officials to ensure speedy treatment for the injured and to carefully check the security of the celebration sites. He directed the health ministry to rapidly deploy disaster medical assistance teams, indicating an increase in the number of casualties and injured in the coming hours. Nearby hospitals have been directed to arrange additional beds for the treatment of the injured.
(with agency input)
catch all business News, market news, today’s fresh news events and breaking news Updates on Live Mint. download mint news app To get daily market updates.