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South Korea’s leader declared a period of national mourning on Sunday after a Halloween crush killed some 151 people and hurt several dozen others in a packed nightlife area in the capital Seoul.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol condoled with the victims, mostly teenagers and people in their 20s, and expressed his wishes for a speedy recovery to the many 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 that the death toll could rise.
In Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Sunday there were no reports of any Filipino casualty during the incident, although the Philippine Embassy in Seoul was still closely monitoring the situation.
“To date the embassy has yet to receive reports of any Filipino victim in the stampede,” the DFA said in a statement, adding that two of the casualties were foreign nationals, while 15 other foreigners were hurt.
Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said she ordered the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Seoul to monitor the situation and provide regular updates to the DMW.
Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, said 151 deaths had been confirmed, including 19 foreigners. He told a briefing at the scene that 82 people were injured, 19 of them seriously.
It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years after the country lifted COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing.
