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A French national and an Austrian national were among 154 people killed in the deadly Halloween crush in South Korea’s capital Seoul on Saturday, local media reported, as European leaders expressed shock and solidarity following the disaster.
Another 133 people were injured as partygoers became trapped in a narrow, downhill alley in Seoul’s Itaewon nightlife district, according to the Yonhap News Agency. The death toll could yet rise higher, with 37 people reported to have sustained serious injuries. While the official number of dead stands at 153, police data puts the death toll at 154, Yonhap reported.
Most of the victims were young people attending the first Halloween celebrations in the city for three years, following the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions. Ninety-five of those killed were in their 20s and four in their teens, officials said.
At least 26 foreign nationals were among the dead, according to South Korea’s foreign ministry. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul said in a statement that two Americans were killed and the French foreign ministry confirmed that one of its citizens had also died, CNN reported. Citing officials, Yonhap reported that four Chinese, four Iranian, and three Russian nationals were among the dead as well as nationals of Norway, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Korean police have launched an investigation into the cause of the disaster. Witnesses described a surge of people into a narrow back alley, with the first reports to emergency services made at around 10:15 p.m. local time.
French President Emmanuel Macron said his thoughts were with the citizens of Seoul, adding “France is at your side.” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the disaster — South Korea’s worst civilian catastrophe since the 2014 Sewol ferry sinking — had come “as a shock to us all.” In a statement posted to the U.S. Embassy’s website, President Joe Biden expressed his “deepest condolences to the families” of those killed.
Source: Politico
