Halloween Incident Death Toll In Itaewon Reaches 154: President Yoon Announces National Mourning, Procuratorate Holds Investigation

Officers stand guard at the location of the celebration of Itaewon Halloween, Seoul, South Korea. (Twitter/@historieente)

JAKARTA - The death toll from a Halloween celebration incident in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea on Saturday night rose to 154, according to officials.

Meanwhile, the number of injured people reached 133 people, some of whom were said to be undergoing serious treatment. Most of the victims are said to be in their teens and 20s.

Police said 153 of the dead had been identified, including 26 foreign nationals from China, Iran, Russia, the United States, France, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Norway, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Austria, and two other countries. The other victim has not yet been identified.

President Yoon Suk-yeol announced a period of national mourning on Sunday. Yongsan District is designated as a special disaster zone.

"This is absolutely devastating," said President Yoon, quoted by the Korea Times on October 31.

"The tragedy that shouldn't have happened, happened in the middle of Seoul in the middle of Halloween (weekend). As a president who is responsible for the lives and safety of the people, I feel heavy and can't hold back my sadness," he continued.

President Yoon said he would instruct the Ministry of Home Affairs and Safety, as well as other relevant government agencies to carry out an emergency review, of all major events planned for the coming months, in order to prevent a recurrence of similar tragedies.

The president then ordered a thorough investigation into the incident. After the speech, President Yoon visited the scene before chairing an emergency meeting at the government complex, Seoul.

Meanwhile, the Attorney General's Office immediately launched an investigation team into the case. Minister of Justice Han Dong-hoon instructed prosecutors to cooperate closely with the police, to find the cause of the incident.

Separately, the Seoul City Government said it would set up a memorial site for the victims at Seoul Plaza. Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is on a business trip in Europe, decides to cut short his trip and head back to the city.

It is known, an estimated 100,000 people gathered in Itaewon for the first Halloween since the lifting of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions. Many partygoers wore Halloween costumes.

Fire authorities received the first reports of the incident at around 10:15 p.m. Witnesses said people "fallen like dominoes" suddenly and started screaming for help.

"After some people slipped and fell, others fell like dominoes and nothing seemed to be able to crawl out of there. It was a complete mess," an eyewitness told Hankook Ilbo.

With the streets so congested and noisy with large crowds, emergency workers were unable to treat patients quickly. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of victims, paramedics asked the passerby to perform CPR.

Emergency officials and doctors who treated them in hospital said most of the victims died of heart attacks from asphyxiation from the pressure of being trapped under other bodies.