At least 149 people were killed and 150 others injured in a stampede in central Seoul on Saturday night, where tens of thousands of people, many dressed in costumes, were celebrating Halloween for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, AFP reported.

Bodies lined up on the sidewalk under blankets or other makeshift coverings, heart massages performed on the street by passers-by at the request of firefighters, stunned by the number of victims, people wearing masks or evening suits running in panic: the night turned into a nightmare in the nearby Itaewon district a former US military base and known for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, bars and party spots in a maze of narrow streets.

“My friend told me, something terrible is happening outside,” said Jeon Gaul, 30, who was in the bar at the time of the tragedy. “I said, ‘But what are you talking about? I went out to see and I saw people doing CPR massage”.

The accident, one of the worst in South Korea’s recent history, happened around 10:00 p.m. (1300 GMT) on Saturday night outside the Hamilton Hotel, located on a main boulevard surrounded by narrow streets. At least 149 people died, including two foreigners, firefighters told AFP. South Korea’s Ministry of Internal Affairs reported about 150 wounded.

“People were lying on top of each other as if in a grave. Some were gradually losing consciousness, others were obviously dead,” an unidentified witness told Yonhap news agency.

In an interview with local TV channel YTN, Lee Bom Suk, a doctor who provided first aid to the victims, described the scenes of chaos and horror. But soon after that, the number exploded,” he said. “Many bystanders came to help us perform CPR,” he continued. “It’s hard to describe in words (…) Many of the victims were pale. I couldn’t measure their pulse or control their breathing, many had nosebleeds. When I tried to resuscitate them, blood flowed from their mouths.

A video posted on Twitter by a user who claims to have been in Ithaewon at the time of the tragedy shows hundreds of people, most of them very young and dressed in cowboy, pirate or other costumes, on a street lined with bars. The scene, at first calm, suddenly becomes confusing. Passers-by are pushed and fall on top of each other, screams are heard, and a woman curses in English and shouts: “Oh God! O God!”

At dawn on Sunday in the neighborhood, bewildered passers-by stood on the sidewalk, checking their phones in the red light of a traffic light. Others took comfort in hugs, and music was still playing from some bars, an AFP photographer at the scene said.

Around 100,000 people, according to local media estimates, came to Itaewon to celebrate Halloween.

According to Yonhap, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who was on a visit to Europe, decided to return in a hurry.

News source: Agerpres