[Itaewon Disaster] 149 Dead, 76 Injured... "Death Toll May Rise" (Comprehensive Report 3)

76 Injured... 19 Seriously Injured, 57 Slightly Injured
Most Victims in Their Teens and Twenties... 2 Foreigners Dead
Alley Only 5 Steps Wide for Adult Males
Crush Accident Occurs from Pushing from Behind... Chaos Ensues Instantly

(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Ji-eun = On the afternoon of the 29th, a large-scale human casualty occurred as crowds gathered in the Itaewon-dong area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, to celebrate Halloween.

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] 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 6:30 a.m. on the 30th, a total of 225 casualties occurred in this accident, of which 149 died. Earlier, as of 4 a.m., there were 146 deaths and 150 injuries. A fire official said, "Some people who died in the hospital were counted as deceased, and some injured people returned home after treatment, reducing the number of injured."

Among the 76 injured, 19 were seriously injured and 57 had minor injuries. The fire official explained that the seriously injured included patients in cardiac arrest, who could potentially be reclassified as deceased. Most victims were identified as being in their teens and twenties. The fire authorities reported that there were 17 foreign casualties, of whom two died.

The bodies of the deceased are being stored separately in morgues around Seoul. Initially, the bodies of 46 people who died at the scene and those who were declared dead after being transferred to hospitals were moved to Wonhyo-ro Multipurpose Gymnasium, but later arrangements were completed for each hospital morgue, according to the fire authorities. Currently, missing person reports are being accepted at the Hannam-dong Community Center in Seoul. Previously, injured patients, including those in cardiac arrest, were transported to 20 nearby hospitals such as Soonchunhyang University Hospital and the National Medical Center for treatment.

The crush accident occurred around 10:15 p.m. the previous day in the Itaewon area of Seoul, resulting in multiple cardiac arrest patients. The fire authorities responded to the scene within two minutes of receiving the report, and by 11:30 p.m., 81 rescue calls related to breathing difficulties and other issues had been received. 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 became entangled with each other. The alley where the accident happened was so narrow that it was only about five adult male steps wide. The fire authorities conducted three search operations centered on the accident area but reported that no additional casualties or unusual findings were discovered.

On that day, numerous parties were held throughout the Itaewon area ahead of Halloween Day, attracting an estimated crowd of over 100,000 people according to police estimates. Because of this, many people reportedly did not realize the severity of the situation immediately after the initial accident. It was only after 11 p.m., when cardiac arrest patients suddenly surged, that the disaster was recognized.

Citizens present at the scene described that people fell and piled up about five to six layers deep. A man in his twenties, Mr. Kim, said, "I got caught between the person in front and the person behind as people pushed from behind," adding, "People screamed and shouted 'help me,' and it instantly became chaos."

The fire authorities issued a Level 1 response at 10:38 p.m. on the day of the accident and escalated it to Level 3 from 11:50 p.m. A total of 2,421 personnel and 233 pieces of equipment were deployed along with the police to carry out rescue and recovery operations.

Yoon Hee-geun, Commissioner of the National Police Agency, convened an emergency crisis 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 demanded strict investigations into compliance with safety measures and accountability from local governments and event organizers.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency plans to form a separate investigation headquarters to conduct an inquiry, and Kim Kwang-ho, Commissioner of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, is reported to be directing the scene on-site. The police have also established a disaster countermeasure headquarters led by the Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency to focus on identifying victims and supporting bereaved families and victims.

During the Halloween period, the police deployed about 200 personnel to monitor the surroundings in preparation for any possible incidents or accidents. The police had initially planned to conduct drug raids targeting nearby clubs but canceled these operations due to the crush accident.

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