Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - 19 foreigners killed in South Korea stampede: fire department

19 foreigners killed in South Korea stampede: fire department

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (front, second left) visits the scene of a Halloween stampede in the capital's popular Itaewon district, in Seoul on October 30. AFP

19 foreigners killed in South Korea stampede: fire department

Nineteen foreigners were among those killed in a stampede at a Halloween event in Seoul, South Korea's fire department told AFP on October 30.

The national fire agency said the death toll from the accident had risen to 151 people, including the 19 foreigners, who died in a crowd surge and stampede which happened at about 10pm on October 29.

The fire agency could not immediately provide details of the nationalities involved, but the Yonhap news agency reported that it included people from Iran, Uzbekistan, China and Norway.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on October 30, saying the government would pay for the medical care of those injured and the funerals of those who died.

"In the centre of Seoul, a tragedy and disaster occurred that should not have happened," Yoon said in a national address.

The disaster occurred in the capital's Itaewon district, where local reports said as many as 100,000 people – mostly in their teens and 20s – had gone to celebrate Halloween, clogging the area's narrow alleyways and winding streets.

Of the dead, 97 were female, said Choi Seong-beom, head of the fire department in Yongsan, which includes Itaewon, Yonhap reported.

Choi said 82 people were injured including 19 seriously, although the Ministry of Interior said 150 people had been injured.

The stampede, the deadliest in South Korea's recent history, happened in a narrow downhill alley near Hamilton Hotel, with eyewitnesses describing scenes of panic as people "fell like dominoes", Yonhap reported.

"A short person like me could not even breathe," one female eyewitness told Yonhap. "It looks like people in the middle suffered the most," she said.

MOST VIEWED

  • 12th Cambodia int’l film festival to see return of Hollywood star

    Phnom Penh is set to come alive with the magic of cinema as the highly anticipated 12th Cambodia International Film Festival (CIFF) takes centre stage. Boasting an impressive line-up of 188 films from 23 countries, including captivating shorts, feature films, documentaries and animation, the festival promises an

  • Bareknuckle champion wants Kun Khmer fighter

    Dave Leduc, who is the current openweight Lethwei boxing champion in Myanmar, has announced that he will travel to Cambodia this year to challenge SEA Games gold medallist Prum Samnang any time that is convenient, after their planned match later this month in Slovakia was

  • Struggling Battambang artist dreams of staging full-scale gallery exhibition

    Leav Kimchhoth, a 55-year-old artist from Battambang province, is a familiar face to locals and tourists alike on the streets of the riverside in Phnom Penh. The one-armed painter and illustrator often hawks his work near the night market on weekends and public holidays. He

  • Fresh Covid warnings as Thai hospital fills

    A senior health official reminds the public to remain vigilant, as neighbouring countries experience an increase in Covid-19 cases, with the latest surge appearing to be a result of the Omicron XBB.1.5 sub-variant. Or Vandine, secretary of state and spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health,

  • 1.4 billion dollar Phnom Penh-Bavet expressway due in four years

    The Government, through the Ministry of Public Works and Transport, has officially signed a public-private partnership agreement with a private company for the construction of a Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway project that will connect the capital to Svay Rieng province. The budget for the project is

  • New Law on Taxation comes into effect

    Cambodia has enacted the eagerly-awaited new Law on Taxation, which aims to improve the national tax regime’s compliance with present and future international standards and economic conditions; encourage accountability, effectiveness and transparency in the collection process; and promote investment in the Kingdom. King Norodom