China News Service, October 30th. The wails and crying burst out everywhere are intertwined with the whistle of the ambulance - in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea, Halloween weekend night has become a nightmare for people.
On the evening of October 29, a large-scale stampede occurred in Itaewon, Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea. The latest news shows that as of 6:00 a.m. local time on the 30th, 149 people have been killed and 76 have been injured.
On the evening of October 29, a crowd gathered near Itaewon . Photo by Jiang Yizhi
"Fallen like a domino"
According to reports, Itaewon was designated as the earliest tourist special zone in Seoul in 1997. It is adjacent to the Longshan base of the US military stationed in South Korea and is inhabited by a large number of foreigners. It is called South Korea's "Wanguo City". On the 1.4-kilometer-long street, there are stores selling clothing, backpacks and other department stores, as well as various hotels, restaurants, and amusement places. It is one of the main blocks for young Koreans to have night entertainment.
is such a place, and on October 29, as many as 100,000 people were allegedly gathered. This is the first Halloween event in South Korea after lifting restrictions on the new crown epidemic and maintaining social distancing measures.
However, accidents and tomorrow, never know which one will come first.
"People fell down like dominoes in a steep alley." After the stampede accident, a witness described it like this.
Relevant police officers said: "It is speculated that the person above the slope said he wanted to go back and pushed the people behind, but the people below kept falling down, causing the trampling."
"I feel like I'm really going to be crushed to death, and I was breathing and crying." A witness recalled, "I thought I was going to die, sobbing and shouting 'Save me', and then the person above took my hand and pulled me up."
According to Korean media reports, cordons were set up everywhere near the accident site, and bags, shoes, coats, etc. on the inside of the cordon were piled up. Police speculated that there would be quite a lot of items belonging to the casualties.
On the evening of October 29, a crowd gathered near Itaewon. Photo by Jiang Yizhi
"The situation is so serious that it is impossible to accurately count the dead and injured"
According to the South Korean police and fire department, at around 22:15 local time on the 29th, the fire department received the first report that someone was trapped in an alley at Itaewon Station and needed rescue, and then received a similar report.
The Fire Department issued the first phase of response at 22:43, the second phase of response at 23:13, and the third phase of response at 23:50.
It is said that the third phase of firefighting response is the stage of issuing orders to very large-scale disasters.
Firefighters arrived at the scene and performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on more than 50 people, and many injured people were sent to nearby hospitals for medical treatment.
Relevant persons from Longshan Fire Department said, "The situation is so serious that it is impossible to accurately count the dead and injured. The Longshan Fire Department has dispatched all manpower to the scene for first aid."
Fire department and police are investigating the identity of the victims. According to the fire department, the most casualties were young people in their 20s.
Kim Geun-joon (sound), the director of the Violent Crime Department of the Seoul Police Department, said: "It is the most priority to grasp the identity. Evidence is currently being collected on the spot and the cause of the accident is investigated."
On the evening of October 29, a crowd gathered near Itaewon. Photo by Shu Si
"All departments should do their best to get first aid and treatment"
South Korean President Yoon Seo-yeol After giving two emergency instructions on the accident, an emergency inspection meeting was held at the Longshan Presidential Palace in the early morning of the 30th local time.
Yong Xiyue instructed that with the Ministry of Administrative Safety as the center, all relevant departments should do their best to provide quick first aid and treatment for the injured.
Seoul Mayor Wu Sehoon , who is visiting Europe, also urgently embarked on the road to return home after hearing the report of the accident. After returning to China, he will immediately handle the accident and conduct on-site command. The investigation headquarters established after the accident will investigate the exact process of the accident, and will also investigate whether the business premises in Itaewon area have fulfilled their safety measures.
The nightclub-related cluster infection of the new coronavirus in May 2020 led to hundreds of confirmed cases, making Itaewon a "terror zone".
Now, this single accident, which was called by South Korean media after the "Sewon Massacre" in 2014, will add another shadow to Itaewon.
