At least two people died from cardiac arrest and dozens of others were injured after a huge crowd poured into a central district of the South Korean capital for Halloween festivities late on Saturday, a fire official said.
As of early Sunday, two were reported dead among 24 who had been transferred to nearby hospitals after suffering cardiac arrest in the incident in the Itaewon district strict, Moon Hyun-joo, an official at the National Fire Agency said.
The number of casualties could rise as rescue activities are still under way. Yonhap news agency said at least 100 were estimated to have been injured due to the stampede.
Social media footage showed several people being assisted by rescue officials and private citizens at the scene. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the footage.
South Korea’s President Yon Suk-yeol presided over an emergency meeting with top aides and ordered the dispatch of emergency medical teams to the area, his office said.
Authorities were investigating the exact cause of the incident, the agency said.
