The stampede in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea has killed 151 people and injured 82 people. This is the most deadly accident in the country since the 2014 Sewol shipwreck. South Korean media said that the reason for such a large number of casualties was that a large number of people gathered in the steep and narrow alleys at that time.
On the evening of October 29th local time, a large-scale stampede occurred in Itaewon, Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea. As of now, the stampede in Itaewon, Seoul has caused hundreds of casualties. The accident occurred in an alley of Itaewon , which is currently blocked. The picture shows the alley taken from a nearby hotel on October 30th local time. Photo by Wan Jiaxin
Korean media reported that the trampling scene was a very narrow alley. This alley extends from the World Food Street in Itaewondong to Exit 1 of Itaewon Station. This downhill road is 45 meters long and only 4 meters wide.
Since it is a small alley connecting the city and the main streets, people who come down from the world's food street and people who come up from Itaewon Station will meet, and the alleys will inevitably be overcrowded.
What's worse is that one side of the road is the exterior wall of the Hamilton Hotel, and when in danger, there is no place to escape on this side.
Korean media also said that since the stampede occurred in an alley with a road width of only 4 meters, relatively short women will suffer more. According to statistics from the South Korean fire department, 97 of the 151 dead were women and 54 were men. It is said that about 100,000 people attended Halloween parties in the area of Itaewondong that night.
South Korean police collected fingerprints of 151 victims that morning and confirmed the identities of 140 of them. South Korean Minister of Administration and Security Lee Xiangmin also said that the identities of victims under the age of 17 and some foreign victims still need to be confirmed.
Yonhap News Agency said that the number of foreign victims has increased from 2 to 19. Because of their similar appearance, it is difficult to determine nationality. Many people were initially classified as Korean deceased, and later they were verified of their identity and nationality. Among them are Chinese, Iranian , Uzbekistan , Norwegian citizens, and no American or Japanese deceased.
