[Itaewon Tragedy] Death Toll Rises by 2 to 153... Total Casualties Continue to Increase to 256

Total Casualties Reach 256... Seriously Injured Increase by 5 to 24
High Possibility of Additional Deaths Among Seriously Injured
Largest Casualty Incident Since Sewol Ferry Disaster
Significant Police Forces Deployed to Gwanghwamun Rallies
Lee Sang-min: "Pre-deployment of Troops Would Not Have Solved the Issue"

On the 30th, ahead of Halloween, large-scale crushing disaster occurred in the Itaewon area. Near the site of the Itaewon crushing accident in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, flowers and alcohol brought by citizens are placed./Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The death toll from the crush accident that occurred on the night of the 29th in Itaewon, where tens of thousands of people gathered, has risen to 153. The total number of casualties is 256.

According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, as of 4:30 p.m. that day, the number of deaths from the Itaewon disaster increased by 2 to 153. Among them, the number of foreign nationals who died increased by 1 to 20 compared to the previous count.

The number of injured is also increasing. According to the Central Disaster Headquarters, there are 24 seriously injured and 79 lightly injured, totaling 103. The number of injured increased by 21, including 5 seriously injured, compared to the previous count.

This accident has been recorded as the largest scale of casualties in South Korea since the Sewol ferry disaster. The number of deaths surged from 59 at 2 a.m., to 149 at 6 a.m., then increased to 151 by 11 a.m., and 153 by 4:30 p.m. Fire authorities believe there is a high possibility of additional deaths among the seriously injured.

The number of missing person reports received by the Seoul city government also increased to 4,024. As of 5 p.m., 3,932 were received by phone and 92 by visit.

The police have formed an investigation headquarters for the cause of the accident and sent forensic teams to hospitals where bodies are kept to contact the bereaved families.

The deceased have been placed in 42 hospitals and funeral homes in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas, including Ilsan Dongguk University Hospital, Pyeongtaek Jeil Funeral Hall, Ewha Mokdong Hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital, Gangdong Kyung Hee University Hospital, Boramae Hospital, Samyook Seoul Hospital, Seongnam Central Hospital, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, and Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital. The injured are receiving treatment at 38 hospitals, including Gangnam Sacred Heart Hospital.

On the 30th, ahead of Halloween, families of missing persons are registering at the missing persons reception center set up at Hannam-dong Community Center in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, following a large-scale crush disaster in the Itaewon area. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

The fire authorities received reports starting around 10:15 p.m. the previous day of people experiencing breathing difficulties due to being crushed near the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon. The disaster occurred as people fell and became entangled in a narrow, sloped alley. Immediately after the accident, dozens of people collapsed on the road in front of the Hamilton Hotel and received cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Access for ambulances and rescue personnel was delayed in the crowded alley, increasing the casualties. The police explained that the slippery road and liquids such as alcohol spilled on the ground worsened the damage.

Despite expectations of large crowds in Itaewon for Halloween Day after COVID-19, the deployment of police and fire personnel was at normal levels, which was also pointed out as a problem. The police anticipated 100,000 people gathering on Halloween Day and deployed 200 personnel focusing on crackdowns on drugs, forced molestation, and other sex crimes.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min said at an emergency briefing held at the Seoul Government Complex that day, "Compared to before, it was not a particularly concerningly large crowd," and "It is understood that this was not a problem that could have been resolved simply by pre-deploying police or fire personnel, unlike usual."

A significant portion of police personnel was deployed to respond to the Gwanghwamun rally, and the deployment of fire personnel to the scene was delayed, so the first-level response was only issued an hour and a half after the incident occurred.

Minister Lee said, "Itaewon was not significantly different from previous levels, and it is understood that a similar level of forces was deployed there as in normal times," adding, "Because there were various disturbances and protests throughout Seoul yesterday, police security forces were dispersed to those places."

The government designated the period from the 30th to November 5th as a national mourning period and declared Yongsan-gu, Seoul, where the disaster occurred, a special disaster area. Seoul City will operate a joint memorial altar at Seoul Plaza from the 31st, and Yongsan-gu will operate one at Itaewon Plaza.

The police have begun investigating the cause of the accident. They have secured a large number of closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage installed in the alley behind the Hamilton Hotel and videos of the scene at the time of the accident posted on social media to reconstruct the situation and confirm the details of the accident.

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