South Korea shakes with tragedy after Halloween crush kills 153 people

153 people were killed during Halloween in South Korea

At least 153 people are dead and 82 injured after being crushed by a crush of people at Halloween celebrations in Seoul, officials said, with the number of victims of the tragedy continuing to climb.

Image of Halloween tragedy in South Korea
Photo: AFP

South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol declared a national mourning period on Sunday following the crush of at least 150 people in a crowded Seoul nightlife district during Halloween. Expressing his condolences to the victims, mainly teenagers and those in their twenties, and wished for the swift recovery of the many injured in the Halloween crash.

Reason & Action taken

According to The Guardian, all the flags hoisted around the country were lowered to half-mast on Sunday. More emergency workers and vehicles are being sent to take action and help the nation in the current situation.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has activated the Emergency Management Headquarters, ordering authorities to quickly identify the individuals, according to a presidential spokesperson, and immediately launch an investigation into the causes of a Halloween event in Seoul.

Yoon Suk-yeol speaking during a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul
© Kim Hong-Ji, EFE

The country is searching for answers after Halloween festivities turned into one of the nation’s worst catastrophes in the capital Seoul, where authorities have declared a nationwide mourning period while investigating how the chaotic crush left people dead in a narrow alleyway at a Halloween celebration in Itaewon, a busy nightlife district of Seoul. 

Resources say that the crowd started pushing around to enter into a nearby bar having heard that a celebrity was coming over there, therefore the after effects of the festival took quite a tragic turn.

The witnesses present there are shattered and full of hurt due to the tragic events and sudden lack of discipline in people around them. The South Korea’s government is trying its best to hold up the situation very seriously, supporting the citizens in this period of utter losses.