REUTERS
October 30, 2022 at 10:55 JST
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, center, visits the scene where dozens of people died and were injured in Seoul, Oct. 30.(Yonhap via AP)
SEOUL - South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday after a Halloween crush killed some 151 people in a packed nightlife area in Seoul.
Yoon expressed condolences to the victims and wishes for a speedy recovery to the injured.
"This is truly tragic," he said in a statement. "A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night."
A huge crowd celebrating in the popular Itaewon district surged into an alley on Saturday night, emergency officials said, adding the death toll could rise.
A further 76 people were injured in the melee, Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, said in a briefing at the scene.
Nineteen of the injured were in serious condition and receiving emergency treatment, the officials said.
SPEEDSKATING/ Olympic champion cut from Korean team amid tripping probe
October 13, 2021
South Korean Olympic champion suspended over text messages
December 22, 2021
Crush kills at least 146 at Halloween festivities in Seoul
October 30, 2022
U.S., Japan, S. Korea send clear message to N. Korea -- U.S. diplomat
July 21, 2021
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
