In Seoul,
the first unrestricted outdoor anti-Covid Halloween celebrations turned into a massacre of young people:
at least 149 people were killed in the crush created in Itaewon, the district of clubs and nightlife in the South Korean capital. another 150 injuries, most of them in their twenties.
It is one of the worst massacres of the last decade in these circumstances.
An official version of the causes of the event has not yet been released
in the area where 100,000 people had gathered for the celebrations: some local media, such as the all-news broadcaster Ytn, claim that chaos broke out after young people the rumor spread of the presence of a famous person in a bar in the neighborhood.
The first reports from official sources spoke of dozens of people who went into cardiac arrest, probably crushed by the crowd and over 140 ambulances on the spot.
The images disseminated on social media show the panic of those fleeing and a row of corpses on the ground covered by the sheets of the rescuers.
According to preliminary reports, the victims were trampled to death after a large crowd began to come forward in a narrow alley near the famous party venue Hamilton Hotel.
Police said dozens of people underwent cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the streets of Itaewon, while many more were taken to nearby hospitals.
"People were stacked on top of each other like a tomb. Some gradually lost consciousness while others seemed already dead
," a witness told South Korean news agency Yonhap.
AFP
Massacre during the Halloween party in Seoul
A particularly distressing video shows scores of people struggling to breathe and stand in the crowd as rescuers try to extricate themselves from the stampede of those no longer in need of medical assistance.
A head of the local fire department, Choi Seong-beom, reported that the bodies of the victims were transferred to a gymnasium not far from the site of the tragedy, to be identified.
Local television showed dozens of ambulances at Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital, where some of the injured were taken and the fear is that the toll could worsen further.
"The area is still chaotic, we are still trying to figure out the exact number of people injured
," said Moon Hyun-joo, a National Fire Agency official.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol immediately called an emergency meeting for one of the most serious national tragedies in his country and set up the coordination of relief efforts.
"The top priority is the transportation and rescue of patients and the provision of timely medical care to those affected
," Yoon said.
While the mayor of Seoul Oh Se-hoon, on a visit to Europe, decided to return urgently.
AP
Massacre during the Halloween party in Seoul
Seoul has received solidarity from several Western capitals.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani expressed "Italy's condolences", Paris said it was "on the side" of South Korea and "all the necessary support" was offered by Washington.
AFP
Massacre during the Halloween party in Seoul