Bodies line the streets of Seoul after Halloween crush horror: At least 146 dead and 150 more injured as bystanders desperately perform CPR in harrowing scenes 'sparked as thousands rushed to see celebrity at local bar'
- WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: At least 146 have died on a Seoul Street amid Halloween celebrations
- Tens of thousands of revellers packed into a narrow alleyway in the South Korean capital before the stampede
- They became trapped and were crushed, with dozens suffering cardiac arrest, but no figure has been given
- There have been numerous reports of multiple fatalities in the tragedy, not yet officially confirmed
- One witness described the scenes at the height of the crush: 'People were layered on top of others like a tomb'
By ELIZABETH HAIGH and ALASTAIR LOCKHART FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 02:24 AEDT, 30 October 2022 | UPDATED: 06:19 AEDT, 30 October 2022
A massive stampede has left at least 146 people dead and hundreds more injured after a fatal crush amongst a 100,000-strong crowd on a narrow street during Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital Seoul.
An official from the National Fire Agency initially said around 100 people were injured during the deadly crowd surge on Saturday night in the Itaewon leisure district of Seoul.
It is believed that hundreds of thousands had gathered in Itaewon, Seoul to attend the city's 2022 Halloween Festival, but a crush occurred shortly after 10pm local time.
Officials had previously confirmed that dozens of people went into cardiac arrest and the number of deaths is expected to rise. Hundreds more were injured.
Photos from the scene appear to show at least 25 bodies on the ground, concealed by yellow blankets. A separate line of bodies covered in blue blankets has also been photographed.
Officials added it was believed that people were crushed to death after a large crowd began pushing forward in a narrow alley near Hamilton Hotel, a major party spot in Seoul.
Police said dozens of people are being given CPR on Itaewon streets while many others have been taken to nearby hospitals. One witness described the height of the crush as a 'tomb'.
Photographs and videos on social media show horrific scenes in the aftermath of the crush, and people's desperate efforts to evade the tragedy.
Emergency workers remove a body from the streets of Seoul after a deadly crush is confirmed to have killed at least 146 people
Dozens of people have reportedly died after a huge crush in the South Korean capital Seoul
An exhausted young woman is carried away from the scene to safety after becoming caught up in the night's events
Revelers dressed in Halloween costumes are seen leaving the scene after a crush killed at least 146 people in Seoul
The scale of the emergency response in Seoul has seen emergency workers called from across the country, including 140 ambulances
Emergency workers stand waiting with stretchers for more casualties to be removed from the area as police guard victims from view
Police officers have begun to investigate the circumstances which led up to the tragedy in Seoul on Saturday night
The party district in South Korea was packed with people celebrating Halloween for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic
The bodies of victims, believed to have suffered from cardiac arrest, are covered with sheets in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon in Seoul
At least 25 bodies appear to be lying on the ground in this image taken from the scene in the aftermath of the incident
Emergency workers treat some of those injured in the crush, covering them with foil blankets to keep them warm
Police officers are already in the process of gathering evidence and collecting people's belongings which were left on the ground
More than 400 emergency workers have been deployed to the scene including drivers of 140 ambulances
An official from the National Fire Agency said around 100 people were injured during the deadly crowd surge
Scenes of shock and horror followed the fatal crush amongst those caught up in the crowd
Onlookers stand shocked as emergency service workers cordon off the streets close to where the crush occurred
All types of emergency workers rushed to the scene in a desperate bid to save the lives of those involved
A woman caught up in the horrifying incident is helped by emergency workers, who appear to be taking her to receive medical treatment
One man was pictured climbing an almost flat wall high above the crowd to escape the panic beneath him.
Video on social media showed dozens of motionless figures lying on the ground in the aftermath of the incident while dozens more emergency workers and members of the public worked intensely around them.
Most of the figures were being given CPR and are thought to have had cardiac arrests.
Social media footage showed hundreds of people packed in the narrow, sloped alley crushed and immobile as emergency officials and police tried to pull them to free.
Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul's Yongsan fire department, said the death toll could rise as emergency workers were continuing to transport the injured to hospitals across Seoul following the stampede in the leisure district of Itaewon on Saturday night.
He added an unspecified number among the injured were in critical conditions following the stampede in the leisure district of Itaewon Saturday night.
The stampede took place around 10.20pm (1300 GMT) and according to Choi many of the victims were trampled to death.
'The high number of casualties was the result of many being trampled during the Halloween event,' Choi said, adding that the death toll could climb.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid his condolences to people in South Korea as he described the news coming out of the country as 'horrific'.
Thousands of people piled into the narrow alley where they became trapped, causing many to suffer from cardiac arrest as they were crushed
At least 100,000 people headed to the Halloween Festival in Seoul, creating a large crowd which ultimately ended in tragedy
Emergency services rushed to the scene where they said at least 100 were injured
At least 50 people are thought to have gone into cardiac arrest during the incident, but no official number has been confirmed
Paramedics treat some of those caught up in the stampede in the minutes after the incident
The Yonhap news agency in South Korea quoted an unidentified witness as saying he saw victims crushed to death.
'People were layered on top of others like a tomb. Some were gradually losing their consciousness while some looked dead by that point,' the witness said, according to Yonhap.
He said 74 of the dead have been sent to hospitals while the bodies of the remaining 46 who had been kept on the streets were being transported to a nearby gym so that workers could identify them.
Officials say people were crushed to death after a large crowd began pushing forward in a narrow alley near Hamilton Hotel, a major party spot in Seoul.
More than 800 emergency workers and police officers from around the nation, including all available personnel in Seoul, were deployed to the streets to treat the injured.
The National Fire Agency separately said in a statement that officials were still trying to determine the exact number of emergency patients.
TV footage and photos from the scene showed ambulance vehicles lined up in streets amid a heavy police presence and emergency workers moving the injured in stretchers.
Emergency workers and pedestrians were also seen performing CPR on people lying in the streets. Multiple people, apparently among those injured, were seen covered in yellow blankets.
More than 800 emergency workers from around South Korea have been deployed to the area, including every available worker in the capital itself.
This includes 140 ambulances who have rushed to treat people at the scene after thousands headed into a narrow street in the capital's party district.
A local police officer said he was also informed that a stampede occurred on Itaewon's streets where a crowd of people gathered for Halloween festivities. The officer requested anonymity, saying the details of the incident were still under investigation.
Police officers have been pictured beginning their investigations into the incident, including gathering items of interest from the ground.
Some local media reports earlier said the crush happened after a large number of people rushed to an Itaewon bar after hearing an unidentified celebrity visited there.
Videos online appear to show people climbing the walls of the street in order to escape the crush, and being lowered a significant distant to neighbouring streets.
Emergency workers try to keep casualties warm as they wait to receive medical attention
The President of South Korea is said to be holding an emergency meeting because of the incident and has told emergency workers to prioritise the evacuation of people from the area
The area has been flooded with emergency workers who have arrived from across the nation to help in the tragedy
The scene was chaotic in the period before and after the crush as dozens of people tried to save the lives of those affected
The Itaewon district is a popular hotspot for Halloween celebrations, especially this year as it was the first time the Halloween Festival could take place since 2019
Images from shortly before the stampede show thousands of people packed into a tiny street
Horrific images and videos online show dozens of people lying on the ground with emergency workers and members of the public performing CPR. Some bodies lay on the ground after efforts to revive them had ceased.
Meanwhile images of lines of bodies on the ground covered by blue and yellow blankets have also emerged. Officials did not immediately release a death toll.
Among those being treated by emergency workers appeared to be some children.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a statement calling for officials to ensure swift treatment for those injured and review the safety of the festivity sites.
Seoul's mayor Oh Se-hoon is currently out of the country on a visit to Europe but has decided to return home following the news.
He is reportedly already on his way back to South Korea.
The city's government have issued an emergency alert to all mobile phones telling people to go home as soon as they can to clear the area.
Local media are reporting that President Yeol chaired an emergency meeting and has ordered that treating and evacuating people from the area should be the top priorities.
They added that around 100,000 people flocked to Itaewon streets for the Halloween festivities, which were the biggest in years following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in recent months.
Authorities are looking into the exact cause of the incident.
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Bodies line the streets of Seoul after Halloween crush horror: At least 146 dead
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