By KIM TONG-HYUNG and HYUNG-JIN KIM, Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — At the very least nine people were killed and dozens more were injured after being crushed by a big crowd pushing forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities within the capital Seoul, South Korean officials said.
Choi Cheon-sik, an official from the National Fire Agency, said a minimum of 60 more people were being treated for injuries at hospitals and that the death toll could grow following the stampede within the leisure district of Itaewon Saturday night. Officials say it was believed that folks were crushed to death after a big crowd began pushing forward in a narrow alley near Hamilton Hotel, a significant party spot in Seoul.
Officials from the National Fire Agency and the Ministry of the Interior and Safety earlier said about 100 were injured and around 50 were being treated for cardiac arrest as of early Sunday.
Greater than 400 emergency staff and 140 vehicles from across the nation, including all available personnel in Seoul, were deployed to the streets to treat the injured.
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The National Fire Agency individually said in a press release that officials were still trying to find out the precise variety of emergency patients.
TV footage and photos from the scene showed ambulance vehicles lined up in streets amid a heavy police presence and emergency staff moving the injured in stretchers. Emergency staff and pedestrians were also seen performing CPR on people lying within the streets.
In a single section, paramedics were seen checking that status of a dozen or more individuals who lied motionless under blue blankets.
Police, which were restricting traffic in nearby areas to hurry up the transportation of the injured to hospitals across the town, also confirmed that dozens of individuals were being given CPR on Itaewon streets. The Seoul Metropolitan Government issued emergency text messages urging people in the realm to swiftly return home.
An area police officer said he was also informed that a stampede occurred on Itaewon’s streets where a crowd of individuals gathered for Halloween festivities. The officer requested anonymity, saying the main points of the incident was still under investigation.
Some local media reports earlier said the crush happened after a lot of people rushed to an Itaewon bar after hearing an unidentified celebrity visited there.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a press release calling for officials to make sure swift treatment for those injured and review the protection of the festivity sites. He also instructed the Health Ministry to swiftly deploy disaster medical assistance teams and secure beds in nearby hospital to treat the injured.
Local media said around 100,000 people flocked to Itaewon streets for the Halloween festivities, which were the largest because the start of the pandemic following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in recent months.
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