South Korean officials reported that at least 146 people were killed and 150 more were injured during Halloween festivities in Seoul, South Korea, when a large crowd pushed forward on a narrow street, causing many to suffer from cardiac arrest, according to The Associated Press.
The news: The event took place around 10:20 p.m. local time on Saturday night, CNN reports.
- Officials expect death tolls to rise as people are still being brought into local hospitals, per Axios.
- The tragedy took place near Seoul’s Hamilton Hotel, which is known as a popular party location in the city, according to BBC.
- The deaths are in connection to a large Halloween party that happened near the city center, according to South Korean news outlet Yonhap News Agency.
Key quote: “The top priority is to evacuate and save the victims. We should take them to urgent medical treatment as quickly as possible,” said South Korean president Yoon Suk-yeol in an emergency meeting, according to The New York Times.
Witness statements: “People crushed under the crowd were crying and I thought I would be crushed to death too, breathing through a hole and crying for help,” a witness tweeted, according to Axios.
- The Washington Post states that the crowd was “elbow-to-elbow,” and that many could not hear each other over the noise or make phone calls due to a lack of cellphone service.