At least 146 people have been killed after a stampede in the South Korean capital of Seoul, according to local fire authorities.
The victims were crushed by a large crowd pushing forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities near the Hamilton Hotel in the Itaewon area.
Footage on social media showed many victims lying on the pavement as workers from the emergency services and bystanders performed CPR in an effort to revive them.
Follow live updates: Death toll rises after crush during Halloween festivities
Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul's Yongsan fire department, said the death toll could rise, with 150 people injured and a number of them in critical condition in hospital.
Most of the bodies have been sent to hospitals, while the rest are being taken to a nearby gym so that they can be identified, he added.
Hundreds of emergency services personnel were deployed to the streets to treat the injured, including all available personnel in Seoul.
More on Seoul Stampede South Korea stampede live updates: Death toll rises after crush during Halloween festivities as most killed 'in their teens and 20s'
It is not clear what prompted the crowd surge, although some local media reports said a large number of people had rushed to the area after hearing an unidentified celebrity had been there.
Seoul's mayor Oh Se-hoon was visiting Europe, but decided to return home following the news.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol chaired an emergency meeting following the stampede.
He said in a statement that officials should ensure swift treatment for those injured and that the safety of festivity sites should be reviewed.
Local media said around 100,000 people headed to Itaewon for the Halloween festivities, which were the biggest in years following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in recent months.
King_Shami on October 29th, 2022 at 20:55 UTC »
18 hospitals involved and if parents can’t find their child, they would have to go Yongsan sport stadium where dead bodies are placed
Myopic_Cat on October 29th, 2022 at 20:24 UTC »
This 7-year old Reddit comment is required reading on this kind of horrific crowd tragedy. It covers the physics of how these things happen, explains the difference between crowd crush and crowd collapse, explains how people die and gives some tips that can improve your chances of recognizing and escaping similar situations.
drkgodess on October 29th, 2022 at 19:46 UTC »
An eyewitness report:
I'm glad this couple made it out alive.