[Itaewon Tragedy] Halloween Week 'Itaewon Crowd Crush Tragedy' Death Toll Rises to 120 (Comprehensive)

Over 100 Injured... "Death Toll May Rise"

[Asia Economy Reporters Jang Sehee and Gong Byungseon] A massive crowd gathered at a festival held in the Itaewon area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, ahead of Halloween Day, resulting in a large-scale crush disaster.

According to the fire authorities, as of 2:40 a.m. on the 30th, a total of 220 casualties occurred in this accident, of which 120 died. Some of the deceased bodies (46) are reportedly being kept at the Wonhyo-ro Indoor Gymnasium. The injured were transported to 20 nearby hospitals, including Soonchunhyang University Hospital and the National Medical Center. A fire official stated, "There are critically injured patients among the wounded, so the death toll may increase."

Earlier, at around 10:22 p.m. the previous day, a crush accident occurred in the Itaewon area of Seoul, resulting in multiple patients in cardiac arrest. The fire authorities reported that by 11:30 p.m., 81 rescue calls were received due to breathing difficulties and other issues. It was reported that 21 people near the Hamilton Hotel were receiving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at that time.

The accident is presumed to have occurred in an alley near Itaewon Station to the left of the Hamilton Hotel, where citizens returning home became entangled with each other. Various parties were held throughout the Itaewon area ahead of Halloween Day, attracting an estimated crowd of over 100,000 according to police estimates.

Injured victims from the Halloween incident in Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, which occurred on the 29th, are being transported to hospitals. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The fire authorities issued Response Level 1 at 10:38 p.m. on the day of the accident and escalated it to Response Level 3 from 11:50 p.m. They deployed 364 personnel and 143 pieces of equipment for rescue operations. The police also deployed 400 personnel and 30 pieces of equipment to respond.

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, convened an emergency countermeasure meeting immediately after the accident, ordered the full mobilization of available personnel, and instructed traffic control and safety measures to aid the casualties. He also ordered a strict investigation into compliance with safety measures and responsibility from local governments and event organizers.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency plans to form a separate investigation headquarters to conduct the investigation, and Kim Kwang-ho, Chief of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, is reported to be on-site directing the response.

During the Halloween period, the police deployed about 200 personnel to monitor the surroundings in preparation for any possible incidents or accidents. On that day, the police had originally planned to conduct drug raids targeting nearby clubs but canceled them due to the crush accident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.