Tragedy in Seoul. The Halloween celebration in the streets of the South Korean capital ended early. A human avalanche down a narrow street in the Itaewon neighborhood left at least 120 people dead and another 150 seriously injured after being crushed by a large crowd, mostly young people in their 20s. According to the country's authorities, the stampede took place around 11:30 p.m. local time around the Hamilton Hotel and the subway station. At that time, it is estimated that some 100,000 people had gathered to celebrate the day of the dead in the famous neighborhood known for its nightlife.
Videos collected by witnesses to the tragedy have gone viral on social networks showing emergency teams practicing resuscitation maneuvers on dozens of people in the streets. In others, images of the corpses covered by sheets lying on the ground waiting to be picked up by the emergency units. The local police said, in a press conference, that some 140 ambulances were moved to the area of the incident.
On the other hand, the South Korean president, Yoon Suk-yeol, ordered to activate the emergency situations plan to provide first aid for those affected and that they have beds and hospital care. In turn, he ordered the ministries to provide any type of help and psychological treatment to the injured and to review the containment measures in terms of urban security in celebrations, according to some international agencies.
The avalanche took place around 11:30 p.m. local time around the Hamilton Hotel and the Itaewon subway station.
Every year the Itaewon neighborhood, adjacent to a US military base, becomes the busiest spot to celebrate Halloween in Seoul.
The Seoul fire brigade advanced to some media outlets that one of the possible causes of the people who have been crushed to death is that they were trapped by the speed with which the large crowd was created and began to push forward in a narrow alley. near the Hamilton hotel, a major party spot in Seoul. Local police added regarding the injured that more than 100 people had received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the streets, while another 50 had been taken to city hospitals for their critical condition.
The details of the incident are still under investigation. Some information published in local media points to a possible hoax. According to these media, the agglomeration occurred after a large number of people ran to a bar to spread the rumor that an unidentified celebrity was there.
