Following the death of at least 153 people in a crowd stampede in Seoul on Sunday, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol proclaimed a day of national mourning.
A large throng of people rushed into a small passageway during Halloween celebrations, crushing individuals in the center of the mob.
Mourning Period Starts Following South Kore's Halloween Stampede
Per Fox News, after first responders reported pulling corpse after body out of the alleyway and finding few alive, mourners left flowers at the spot. Following the tragedy, Seoul's authorities have received more than 350 complaints of missing people. Ninety percent of the fatalities have, according to interior minister Lee Sang-min, been identified as of Sunday morning.
At the Hannam-dong Community Center in Seoul, throngs of people came to find out what had become of loved ones who had been reported missing. After talking with officials, one person allegedly dropped to their knees and started crying.
The majority of those slain in the tragedy were young individuals, many of them in their 20s and some even as young as teens. Every year, Halloween brings in a sizable throng to Seoul's bars, clubs, and eateries. According to officials, 82 more individuals were hurt in the rush, 19 of them had serious injuries.
The country of South Korea entered a week of mourning after the Halloween crush, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo vowed a comprehensive inquiry.
The area around the event, which was covered with rubbish, was blocked off by police, and surrounding shops and cafés were shut down, Reuters via MSN reported. Halloween celebrations that were scheduled around the nation at schools, kindergartens, and businesses were canceled.
Government briefings and K-pop performances were also postponed. According to his office, President Yoon Suk-yeol paid his condolences to the victims on Monday by going to a memorial altar next to the Seoul city hall.
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Itaewon Crowd Crush
The crush occurred just as Itaewon, the city's nightlife center for decades, was beginning to flourish following more than two years of COVID-19 restrictions, with hip restaurants and stores taking the place of sleazy joints. The tragedy is the worst in the nation since a ferry sinking in 2014 that killed 304 people, mostly high school students.
South Korea was shocked by the sinking of the Sewol and the backlash against the government's reaction, which sparked a national debate about safety measures that will undoubtedly be rekindled in the aftermath of Saturday's crush.
Several others are seen performing CPR on the dead lined the roadway in videos taken at the incident. An on-the-ground BBC correspondent reported seeing several ambulances, tens of thousands of people, and numerous dead draped in blue sheets. Ambulances had a difficult time navigating the masses of people.
News of what had transpired was coming in bits and pieces, as is typical in a fast-moving catastrophe like this. Although the first reports stated that 50 people had died from cardiac arrests, which is a frequent cause of death in a crush, it was obvious from the somber pictures of body bags filling the streets that this was a significant occurrence.
According to authorities, 150 persons were injured in addition to the 59 fatalities. After an hour, there were 120 dead and 100 injured. As the night went on, the figures continued to rise and soon reached 150.
Yoon Suk-yeol convened an emergency meeting shortly after the disaster began to take place and declared that the reason of the crush will be investigated into. He said that he felt "responsible for people's lives and safety" and said, "My heart is heavy and I struggle to cope with my grief."
Related Article : Seoul Halloween Stampede Kills 149 People, Mostly Teenagers
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