In South Korea’s worst disaster in years, a crowd of mostly young people celebrating Halloween in Seoul became trapped and crushed as the crowd surged into a narrow alley, killing at least 151 people and injuring 150 others.
Choi Seong-beom, chief of the Yongsan fire department in Seoul, said the death toll could rise further and that an unspecified number of those injured were in critical condition.
It was unclear what prompted the crowd to pour into the narrow downhill alley near the Hamilton Hotel, a popular party destination in Seoul.
Following the incidents South Korea is canceling events from government briefings to K-pop concerts.
South Korean president declares national mourning period over deadly Seoul stampede
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on Sunday announced a period of national mourning and ordered the lowering of flags over a deadly Seoul stampede during Halloween celebrations that killed at least 151 people, including 19 foreigners, media reports said.