151 people were killed in a stampede during Halloween celebrations in Seoul

The South Korea The horror dives a little deeper. Scramble toll at Seoul Continues to grow heavy. Now, according to firefighters, at least 151 people have died: 97 women and 54 men, including 19 foreigners. 89 people were injured in this accident. Foreigners from Iran, China, Uzbekistan and Norway were among those killed, Yonhap news agency reported. TASS reported that two Russians were among the dead. Officials also said 355 people were missing early Sunday morning.

The tragedy took place from Saturday to Sunday in the narrow streets of the Itaewon district, in the heart of the capital known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, its bars and its party venues of all kinds. Tens of thousands of people, many of them in fancy dress, celebrated Halloween for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic. Covid-19.

“Mourning” of the Head of State

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who expressed grief over what he called “a tragedy and a disaster that should not have happened,” promised that his government would conduct a “rigorous” investigation to determine the cause of the disaster. “I have a heavy heart and it is difficult for me to contain my grief,” the head of state said in a televised address to the nation as he visited the scene of the tragedy on Sunday morning, dressed in a green emergency rescue uniform. , and national mourning was declared.

Bodies lined up on the sidewalk under blankets or other makeshift coverings, cardiac massages by passers-by on the street at the request of more firefighters, people in disguise or dressed in evening gowns running in panic: the night turned into a nightmare in Itaewon.

Peace then chaos and panic

A video shared on Twitter by a surfer who claimed to be in the neighborhood during the tragedy showed hundreds of people lining a street lined with bars. What was at first a calm scene suddenly turns chaotic. Passersby fall over each other amid screams and panic. About 100,000 people were there, according to media estimates.

“The size of the expected crowd in Itaewon is not much different from previous years, so I believe the personnel deployed are the same as before,” said Interior Minister Lee Chang. Minutes, a “significant number” of police officers were at the same time in another district of the capital to supervise a large demonstration.

Many international leaders have expressed their displeasure. “We offer our condolences to the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best wishes for a speedy recovery to all those injured,” US President Joe Biden said. Emmanuel Macron expressed “a moving thought for the residents of Seoul and for all Korean people.”