At least 150 people died when large crowd surged in narrow alley of South Korean nightlife district, officials say

At least 150 people have been killed and around 80 injured in a crowd crush and stampede in a narrow alley during Halloween festivities in Itaewon, a popular leisure district of Seoul in South Korea.

Officials said a large crowd began pushing forward in the sloped alley near the Hamilton Hotel, a party spot in Seoul. Some local media reports said earlier that people rushed to a bar after a celebrity was sighted.

Many of the victims were women in their 20s, said a National Fire Agency offical, Choi Cheon-sik.

Fire officials and witnesses said people continued to pour into the alley while it was already packed wall-to-wall. When those at the top of the sloped street fell, it sent others below them toppling over others.

About 100,000 people had filled Itaewon’s streets for the biggest festivities since the easing of Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Dozens of bars and restaurants were packed with revellers wearing elaborate Halloween costumes.

TV footage and photos from the scene showed emergency workers and pedestrians performing CPR on people lying in the streets. The bodies of people who had been crushed or trampled to death lay in rows, covered with blankets or makeshift shrouds.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes beforehand, with police appearing to have trouble maintaining control of the crowds. “It was at least 10 times more crowded than usual,” Moon Ju-young, 21, told Reuters.