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[EN IMAGES] Halloween celebrations: 146 killed, 150 injured in Seoul

[EN IMAGES] Halloween celebrations: 146 killed, 150 injured in Seoul

*Warning, some images may be displayed*

At least 146 people were killed and a hundred injured in a stampede in Seoul, as thousands of people crowded the narrow streets of a southern district of the capital overnight from Saturday to Sunday.

It’s 2:30 in the morning [samedi à 17h30 GMT]Choi Seong-beom, a firefighting official from the South Korean capital, told the press at the disaster site that 146 people were killed and 150 injured.

“The large number of victims is due to the fact that many people were run over during the Halloween party,” he added, believing that the number of victims could rise.

“Heart failure”

Firefighters in the South Korean capital announced for the first time that dozens of people had suffered cardiac arrest in the Itaewon district of central Seoul.

In South Korea, rescue officials talk of cardiac arrest until a doctor officially declares a person dead.

A spokesman for the fire department said that 140 ambulances were sent to the scene to care for the victims.

The victims seem to have been caught up in crowd movements in this area as Halloween celebrations gather large numbers of people in the South Korean capital.

The presidency said South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol called on hospitals to prepare to receive the injured.

covering the corpses

Pictures released by Yonhap News Agency showed more than a dozen people lying on a street, with rescuers giving heart massages to each other, as police cordoned off the crowds with security cordons.

According to a video, about 20 bodies were covered with sheets or blankets, as rescuers did not attempt to revive them. The other victims were taken on stretchers to ambulances.

This year’s Halloween celebrations are the first since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as South Koreans have been forced to wear masks outdoors.