He mentioned 74 of the lifeless have been despatched to hospitals whereas the our bodies of the remaining 46 who had been stored on the streets had been being transported to a close-by health club in order that employees may establish them.
Officers say it was believed that individuals had been crushed to loss of life after a big crowd started pushing ahead in a slim alley close to Hamilton Resort, a serious celebration spot in Seoul.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story is beneath:
A minimum of 59 individuals had been killed and 150 extra had been injured after being crushed by a big crowd pushing ahead on a slim avenue throughout Halloween festivities within the capital of Seoul, South Korean officers mentioned.
Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan hearth division, mentioned the loss of life toll may rise as emergency employees had been persevering with to move the injured to hospitals throughout Seoul following the stampede within the leisure district of Itaewon on Saturday evening. He mentioned 13 of the lifeless have been despatched to hospitals whereas the our bodies of the remaining 46 had been nonetheless on the streets.
Officers say it was believed that individuals had been crushed to loss of life after a big crowd started pushing ahead in a slim alley close to Hamilton Resort, a serious celebration spot in Seoul.
Greater than 400 emergency employees and 140 autos from across the nation, together with all obtainable personnel in Seoul, had been deployed to the streets to deal with the injured.
The Nationwide Fireplace Company individually mentioned in an announcement that officers had been nonetheless attempting to find out the precise variety of emergency sufferers.
TV footage and photographs from the scene confirmed ambulance autos lined up in streets amid a heavy police presence and emergency employees transferring the injured in stretchers. Emergency employees and pedestrians had been additionally seen performing CPR on individuals mendacity within the streets.
In a single part, paramedics had been seen checking the standing of a dozen or extra individuals who lied immobile below blue blankets.
Police, which had been proscribing site visitors in close by areas to hurry up the transportation of the injured to hospitals throughout the town, additionally confirmed that dozens of individuals had been being given CPR on Itaewon streets. The Seoul Metropolitan Authorities issued emergency textual content messages urging individuals within the space to swiftly return residence.
A neighborhood police officer mentioned he was additionally knowledgeable {that a} stampede occurred on Itaewon’s streets the place a crowd of individuals gathered for Halloween festivities. The officer requested anonymity, saying the main points of the incident was nonetheless below investigation.
Some native media stories earlier mentioned the crush occurred after numerous individuals rushed to an Itaewon bar after listening to an unidentified superstar visited there.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued an announcement calling for officers to make sure swift remedy for these injured and evaluation the security of the festivity websites. He additionally instructed the Well being Ministry to swiftly deploy catastrophe medical help groups and safe beds in close by hospital to deal with the injured.
Native media mentioned round 100,000 individuals flocked to Itaewon streets for the Halloween festivities, which had been the largest because the begin of the pandemic following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in current months.