The party turned into a nightmare. Dozens of people lost their lives overnight from Saturday to Sunday in Seoul, South Korea, during a crowd movement. In addition to the national and international turmoil, the authorities are trying this Sunday to understand how such a tragedy could have happened. 20 minutes updates on the latest news.
What happened ?
Saturday evening, tens of thousands of revelers, mostly very young, massed in central Seoul to celebrate Halloween, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The facts occurred in Itaewon, a district located near a former American military base and known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, its bars and all kinds of party places in a maze of narrow alleys. Traders who have been in the area for around 30 years told AFP that the crowd was of an “unprecedented” size.
The deadly crowd movement took place around 10 p.m. Saturday near the Hamilton Hotel.
What is the toll of the scramble?
The tragedy killed at least 151 people, including 19 foreigners of various nationalities, 97 women and 54 men, firefighters told AFP. They added that the disaster left 89 injured.
Among the foreigners killed are nationals of Iran, China, Uzbekistan and Norway, according to the Yonhap news agency. Two Russians are also among the dead, according to the Tass agency. Seoul authorities also reported 355 people missing on Sunday morning.
Where is the investigation?
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol lamented “a tragedy and disaster that should not have happened”. He promises that his government would investigate “rigorously” to determine the causes of the disaster, one of the most serious in the recent history of South Korea. “I have a heavy heart and it is difficult for me to contain my grief”, added in a televised address the head of state, who went to the scene of the tragedy, dressed in the green jacket of the emergency services. emergency, and declared national mourning.
The trigger for the stampede has not yet been established. And pending an official explanation, rumors have appeared. Some local media speculated that a celebrity presence at a bar in Itaewon sparked a rush of onlookers. Other online rumors explain the tragedy by a gas leak or a fire in a nightclub, or even the distribution of “drug bombs” in the crowd. So many rumors denied by the police and that no witness described to AFP.
Experts warn that the cause of the disaster is likely much more prosaic: the authorities’ lack of planning and crowd control measures.
Were there enough police and rescuers?
Police expected the crowds at Itaewon to be similar to previous Halloween celebrations, Interior Ministry Lee Sang-min said. At the same time, according to him, a “considerable number” of law enforcement officers were mobilized to supervise a large demonstration in another part of the city. In documents published two days before the tragedy, the police had indicated that they intended to deploy only 200 officers in Itaewon.
Insufficiently manned rescue teams experienced the worst difficulties in assisting a very large number of victims in cardiac arrest. Simple passers-by were used to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on unconscious people.
What are the reactions internationally?
Many international leaders have expressed their dismay. “We mourn with the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best wishes for a speedy recovery to all those who have been injured,” US President Joe Biden said in a statement. “I am terribly shocked and deeply saddened” by this accident “which took too many precious lives, including those of young people who had a future ahead of them,” said Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Chinese President Xi Jinping also said he was “shocked” and offered his “deep condolences”, while Emmanuel Macron expressed “a moved thought for the people of Seoul and for all the Korean people”.