At least 153 dead following crowd surge in

Seoul during Halloween festivities

Most of the victims were people in their late teens and 20s, said Choi Seong-beom, chief of
Seoul’s Yongsan fire department. The embassy in Seoul confirmed to NBC News Sunday.
Yongsan Fire Department said the other foreign victims came from many countries. Officials
have said that the crowd had gathered in the narrow alley in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood to
celebrate Halloween. In a televised address Sunday morning, President Yoon Suk-yeol declared
a national mourning period.
Kim described being trampled by other people for about 1 ½ hour before being rescued,
according to the Seoul-based Hankyoreh newspaper. Another survivor, named Lee Chang-kyu,
said he saw about five to six men start pushing others before one or two began falling one by one
at the start of the surge, according to the newspaper. In his address Sunday morning, Yoon said
there would be an emergency review of regional festival plans to ensure they are carried out
safely.
The National Fire Agency said in a statement that all of Seoul’s available emergency workers
have been mobilized. They also confirmed that dozens of people were being given CPR on
Itaewon streets. The Seoul Metropolitan Government issued emergency text messages urging
people in the area to swiftly return home. Seoul’s city government said more than 2,000 people
have called a city office in nearby Hannam-dong reporting their relatives as out of contact and
asking officials to confirm whether they were among those injured or dead.