Seoul stampede: Fire chief trembles as he talks about casualties in the wake of the tragedy
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An Australian who survived the tragic crush in Seoul paid tribute to his friend who died in the stampede on Saturday night.
In a now-deleted TikTok video, Nathan Taverniti spoke of what he called a “slow, dying crush” that turned into the country’s worst disaster in years.
Grace Rached, 23, had been on holiday in the South Korean capital and would have turned 24 next week.
“It was a slow, agonizing crush. This crush was not caused by drunk people. It was a lack of planning, police force and emergency services,” Taverniti said.
.And no one was willing to help. I watched people film, sing and laugh as my friends died, along with many other people.
“I was standing there trying to get people out because there weren’t enough police officers and nobody was doing anything to get the crowd to stop.”
A South Korean actor was among 154 people killed in the Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon. Acting agencies confirmed that Lee Ji-han had been killed in the disaster.
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Show latest update 1667273973
Breaking: Halloween love death toll rises to 156
South Korea’s interior ministry has reported that the death toll from Saturday’s Halloween crush has risen to 156.
A woman pays tribute to the victims of the Halloween celebration stampede on the street near the scene on October 31, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea
(Getty Images)
Namita Singh November 1, 2022 3:39 am
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Police are launching a 475-member task force to investigate the crush
Seoul police said they have launched a 475-member task force to investigate the crush.
Officers have obtained video captured by about 50 security cameras in the area and are also analyzing video clips posted on social media.
So far, they have interviewed more than 40 witnesses and survivors, senior police officer Nam Gu-Jun told reporters on Monday.
Other police said they are trying to find exactly when and where the crowd surge began and how it unfolded. They said a team of police officers and government forensic experts searched the Itaewon area on Monday.
A woman pays tribute to the victims of the Halloween celebration stampede on the street near the scene on October 31, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea
(Getty Images)
“The government will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and do its best to make the necessary improvements to the systems to prevent a similar accident from happening again,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at the start of a government meeting on the disaster.
The Itaewon area, famous for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, is the most popular place in the country for Halloween-themed events and parties, which have become increasingly popular among young South Koreans in recent years.
An estimated 100,000 people gathered there Saturday night for the nation’s largest Halloween celebration since the pandemic began.
Namita Singh November 1, 2022 3:24 am
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Crowd control at Halloween crush site ‘inadequate’, South Korea police chief says
South Korea’s police chief said today that crowd control in the area where a crush killed more than 150 revelers in central Seoul was “inadequate”.
Yoon Hee-keun made the comment at a live televised news conference, saying he felt a great responsibility for the incident, where a surge of Halloween revelers trapped in narrow alleys killed 155 people and injured 152 others.
People pay tribute to the victims of the Halloween celebration stampede on the street near the scene on October 31, 2022 in Seoul, South Korea
(Getty Images)
Namita Singh November 1, 2022 3:20 am
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King Charles sends condolences to South Korea after more than 150 die in Seoul stampede
King Charles sends condolences to South Korea after more than 150 die in Seoul stampede
Sam Rkaina November 1, 2022 02:59
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How Seoul’s Halloween crush that killed 154 and injured 149 unfolded in real time
South Korea is mourning a week of shock after the country’s citizens witnessed one of the worst overnight disasters in years, killing 154 and leaving nearly the same number of injured
A night that was supposed to be a stress-free Halloween celebration after two years of pandemic restrictions on the streets of Seoul instead led to a massive pile-up that prompted the country’s prime minister, Han Duck-soo, announced a rigorous investigation into the night’s events.
The crush came as a massive crowd of more than 100,000 revelers gathered Saturday for the festivities in Seoul’s Itaewon district, a metropolis known for its harsh living conditions and public spaces and penitents for its residents.
Joe Middleton November 1, 2022 1:59 am
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Seoul Stampede: A densely packed crowd at the Halloween party event
Seoul Stampede: A densely packed crowd at the Halloween party event
Joe Middleton November 1, 2022 12:59 AM
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Seoul crowd crush survivor says ‘people filmed while my friends were dying’
An Australian survivor of the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul has told how people filmed, sang and laughed as his friends died.
At least 154 people are believed to have died in the stampede in Itaewon on Saturday, while 132 others were injured, including 37 seriously, amid fears that number will rise in the coming days.
Those killed or injured were mostly teenagers and people in their 20s, according to Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan Fire Department.
Joe Middleton October 31, 2022 11:59 p.m
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Seoul stampede: Fire chief trembles as he talks about casualties in the wake of the tragedy
Seoul stampede: Fire chief trembles as he talks about casualties in the wake of the tragedy
Joe Middleton October 31, 2022 10:58 p.m
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Empty streets in the nightlife district as the city cries
The streets of Itaewon were virtually empty for Halloween tonight as the city mourns the dozens of people who lost their lives over the weekend.
Many of those in the crowd’s deadly crush had been out celebrating the festivities in the early hours of Saturday night when tragedy struck.
Shops have closed and concerts have been canceled as the nation enters a period of national mourning.
An almost empty Itaewon district during Halloween on October 31
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
Sam Rkaina October 31, 2022 9:54 pm
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Pictured: Mourners react near the scene of the tragic crush in Seoul
People react near the scene of a crowd that happened during the Halloween festivities, in Seoul, South Korea
(REUTERS)
People react near the scene of a crowd that happened during the Halloween festivities, in Seoul, South Korea
(REUTERS)
People react near the scene of a crowd that happened during the Halloween festivities, in Seoul, South Korea
(REUTERS)
Joe Middleton October 31, 2022 8:17 p.m