More than 120 crushed to death, 100 injured celebrating Halloween in South Korea

A massive stampede has left no fewer than 120 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 have now confirmed that dozens of people went into cardiac arrest and 120 have so far been confirmed to have died – although that number is expected to rise. Hundreds more were injured.

‘As of 02:30am, 120 have been killed and 100 have been injured,’ fire official Choi Seong-beom told reporters at the scene.

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.