Subhechcha Ganguly 
Huge groups of revellers, many of whom were in their late teens and early 20s, gathered in Seoul’s Itaewon area for late-night Halloween celebrations, resulting in a catastrophic stampede that left at least 151 people dead and 82 others injured.
After tens of thousands of people visited the region for Halloween, the deadliest stampede in South Korean history occurred on Saturday night in a little downhill alley close to the Hamilton Hotel in the renowned nightlife zone, according to the Yonhap news agency.According to Choi Seong-beom, the head of the fire department in Yongsan, which contains Itaewon, as of 9 a.m. Sunday, 151 people had died overall, including 19 foreigners, and 82 others had been hurt, 19 of them badly.
According to Choi, there were 97 female and 54 male fatalities. He continued, listing the nations represented among the dead as Iran, Uzbekistan, China, and Norway. It was the city’s first Halloween celebration in three years following the lifting of numerous Covid-19 restrictions. Halloween costumes were worn by the majority of individuals on the streets.
The majority of the accident’s victims were in their late teens and early 20s, according to the authorities. It is not yet known if any of the victims were children.Rescue personnel and regular citizens were seen performing CPR on casualties in the streets in video footage.
Initial complaints of patients having breathing problems were made by locals in the Itaewon area in large numbers. Around 10:15 p.m., the initial complaint was made. Dozens of casualties were found on a nearby road receiving CPR from rescuers who had been sent to the spot.Those in the back were crushed while those in the front tumbled over, a witness in his 20s told Yonhap news agency. The specific cause of the catastrophe is still unknown, however there were rumours at the site that a large throng had gathered to watch a celebrity or that candy had been handed at clubs that was loaded with drugs.
The nation was addressed live from the presidential office by South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, who said that Saturday’s “tragedy and disaster should never have happened.” A time of national mourning for the disaster was also declared by the President.Yoon also presided over two more emergency sessions before addressing the nation, the presidential office said, urging officials to quickly provide first aid and treat the injured.Additionally, the President gave the go-ahead to send emergency medical personnel to Itaewon and reserve emergency beds.Yoon gave the order to properly probe the accident’s cause after presiding over an emergency meeting on the stampede.
