At least 146 people were killed and another 150 injured in a stampede in the South Korean capital Seoul. Many victims were trampled to death, a spokesman for the fire department said Sunday night. Politicians around the world, such as US President Joe Biden, have reacted with dismay. Thousands of people had crowded the streets of the Itaewon neighborhood for the first Halloween celebrations since the start of the pandemic. A mass panic ensued.
“There were so many people being pushed around and I got trapped in the crowd and couldn’t get out at first,” Jeon Ga-eul, 30, told AFP. He had a feeling that sooner or later an accident would happen.
Initially, the firefighters had spoken of dozens of people in cardiac arrest. Photos and videos showed people lying on the ground assisted by rescuers. According to the firefighters, there were more than 140 ambulances on site. Police officers isolated the scene of the incident in the famous nightlife area. President Yoon Suk Yeol has ordered the evacuation of hospital beds as soon as possible.
South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted an eyewitness who wished to remain anonymous. “People were layered on top of each other like in a tomb,” the witness described the scenes. “Some have gradually lost consciousness, while others seemed already dead by that point.”
In an interview with local broadcaster YTN, a doctor described chaotic scenes from the tragedy. “When I first attempted CPR, two victims were lying on the sidewalk. But shortly thereafter, the number exploded and exceeded the number of first responders on the scene,” Lee said. Many passersby came to help.
It is difficult to put the events into words. “The faces of so many victims were pale. I couldn’t hear the heartbeat or breath, and many of them had bloody noses. When I tried to revive them, I also pumped blood from their mouths.”
The tragedy caused dismay around the world. US President Biden said the US was “waiting” for South Korea at this tragic time. “We mourn with the people of the Republic of Korea and wish all wounded a speedy recovery,” wrote the Democrat on Twitter.
EU Council President Charles Michel was also shocked and expressed his deepest solidarity with the families and friends of the victims of the terrible accident, the Belgian wrote on Twitter on Saturday.
Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg (ÖVP) also said on Twitter (originally in English): “I have just returned from South Korea and I am deeply shocked by the tragic mass panic in #Seoul this evening. My thoughts go to the families of the victims and to all those who were injured in the stampede “.
Schallenberg had visited South Korea as part of a Friday to Wednesday trip over the past few days. The occasion was the 130th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Austria and Korea, which last year had been transformed into a “strategic partnership”.
The Halloween party from the USA is celebrated in the night from October 31st to November 1st. It goes back to a Celtic custom, according to which evil spirits should be cast out at the beginning of the dark season.
