South Korean capital Seoul saw dozens of people getting cardiac arrest during Halloween celebrations as thousands crowded narrow streets in the Itaewon neighbourhood. Local authorities have said that 146 people were dead and 150 were injured. AFP cited a fire brigade official who said that more than 140 ambulances have been dispatched to the scene.
Yonhap news agency reported that around 50 people were in cardiac arrest, quoting the fire department.
Itaewon is a popular destination for people celebrating Halloween in the South Korean capital, and the incident apparently occurred as the result of a crush resulting from the size of the crowd.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has ordered officials to dispatch first aid teams and for hospital beds to be immediately available.
Emergency first aid
Photographs published by Yonhap appeared to show more than a dozen people lying prone on a street that had been cordoned off by authorities, with rescue workers tending to some of them.
Video footage from the scene of the crush showed people performing emergency first aid on several victims who appeared to be prone on the pavement, while rescue workers rushed to help others.
Yellow-jacketed policemen formed a cordon around the site of the crush, with rescue officials loading victims — some of whom were covered with blankets or other coverings — into ambulances.
Around two dozen people were entirely covered by makeshift blankets on the roadside.
(With inputs from agencies)
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