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At least 120 people were killed and another 100 injured during Halloween celebrations in Seoul, South Korea, as they were crowded into a narrow street by a large crowd, South Korean officials said.
Choi Sung-beom, chief of the Yongsan Fire Department in Seoul, said the death toll may rise, and the number of injured is unknown and the situation is critical.
He said 74 of the deceased had been taken to hospital and the remaining 46 bodies left on the street were being transported to a nearby gym for identification by staff.
People are believed to have been crushed to death after a large group began to push their way through a narrow alley near the Hamilton Hotel, a major meeting place in Seoul, officials said.
This is a major news update. The early story of AP is as follows:
South Korean officials said at least 59 people were killed and 150 others injured when they were overwhelmed by a large advancing crowd on a narrow street during Halloween celebrations in the Seoul capital.
The death toll is likely to rise as emergency workers continue to transport the injured to hospitals across Seoul after a stampede at the Itaewon recreation area on Saturday night, said Choi Sung-beom, chief of the Yongsan Fire Department in Seoul. He said 13 of the deceased had been taken to hospital, while the bodies of the remaining 46 were still on the street.
People are believed to have been crushed to death after a large group began to push their way through a narrow alley near the Hamilton Hotel, a major meeting place in Seoul, officials said.
More than 400 first responders and 140 vehicles from across the country, including all available in Seoul, were deployed to the streets to treat the wounded.
Officials are still working to determine the exact number of emergency patients, the National Fire Service said separately in a statement.
Television footage and photos from the scene showed ambulances lined up on the street, police present and first responders carrying the injured on stretchers. First responders and pedestrians were also seen performing CPR on people lying on the street.
In one area, paramedics were seen checking the status of a dozen people lying motionless under blue blankets.
Police were restricting traffic in nearby areas to speed up transport of the injured to hospitals across the city, and they also confirmed that dozens of people were undergoing CPR on the streets of Itaewon. The Seoul Metropolitan Government issued an emergency text message urging people in the area to return home as soon as possible.
A local police officer said he also learned of a stampede on the streets of Itaewon as a crowd gathered for a Halloween celebration. The official, who requested anonymity, said the details of the incident were still under investigation.
Some local media reported earlier that the incident happened after a large crowd flocked to an Itaewon bar after hearing an unidentified celebrity visit it.
South Korean President Yoon Seol-yeol issued a statement calling on officials to ensure prompt treatment of the injured and to review the safety of the venues for the celebrations. He also instructed the Ministry of Health to quickly deploy disaster relief medical teams and arrange beds in nearby hospitals to treat the wounded.
Local media said about 100,000 people flocked to the streets of Itaewon for Halloween celebrations, the largest since the pandemic began when COVID-19 restrictions were eased in recent months.
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