Seoul Halloween Stampede Worst Tragedy in Korean History Since Ferry Sewol Sinking

Seoul Halloween Stampede: In all, around 151 people were killed and 82 others were injured in a tragic stampede in Seoul's Itaewon district when massive groups of partygoers, many of whom were in their late teens and early twenties, gathered for late-night Halloween celebrations.

After tens of thousands of people visited the place for Halloween, the worst stampede in Korean history occurred Saturday night in a tight downhill lane near the Hamilton Hotel in the popular nightlife zone.

According to Choi Seong-beom, chief of the fire department in Yongsan, and Itaewon, as of 9 a.m. Sunday, 151 people had died, including 19 foreigners, and 82 others had been injured, 19 of them seriously. He added, saying that 97 of the deceased were female and 54 were male. The deceased foreigners include those from Iran, Uzbekistan, China, and Norway, 

The stampede was Korea's biggest tragedy since the sinking of the ferry Sewol in 2014, which killed 304 people, the majority of whom were high school students.
 

President Yoon Suk-yeol delivered a live message to the country from the presidential office, stating Saturday's "tragedy and calamity should never have happened." The president also declared a national day of mourning for the stampede. Yoon also presided over two successive emergency meetings before addressing the country, urging officials to quickly administer first aid and treat the injured. Yoon also ordered officials to deploy emergency medical officials to Itaewon and secure emergency beds. Yoon, who presided over an emergency meeting on the stampede, directed officials to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident. 

Police intend to begin an investigation soon into whether the area's pubs and clubs were in compliance with safety regulations.