More than 150 dead and 130 Injured in Seoul's Tragic Halloween Stampede

Rescue teams are still working tirelessly after a tragic stampede took the lives of more than 150 people in Seoul, South Korea.

On October 29, thousands of people headed to the neon-lit district of Itaewon to celebrate Halloween. The narrow alleys are typically a place for tourists and parties, however, thousands of people flooded the area on Saturday, October 29, making it difficult for people to move and breathe, CNN reports.

"This is truly tragic," President Yoon Suk-yeol said in a statement, vowing an investigation into the cause of the disaster. "A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night."

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According to reports, Halloween has become one of the most popular festivities in the area throughout the years, with tourists coming to the city to celebrate. However, this was the first time since the pandemic began that restrictions were lifted and people were able to gather once more.

As witnessed in several videos posted to social media, people were crammed together in the narrow street with people standing shoulder to shoulder. Then, people began to panic and scream, however, their calls for help were muted by blaring music from the bars and clubs in the area.

Reports state that the first emergency calls went in at around 10:24 PM and authorities rushed to the scene, however, the stampede had already begun and the number of people there made it difficult to reach those who were struggling. Videos have shown first responders performing CPR on victims as others awaited help.

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Additionally, since the majority of the crowd was wearing costumes, it made it difficult for the medical teams to identify people. Most of the casualties were people in their early 20s and teenagers, with women outnumbering men by a high percentage, according to the New York Times.

South Korea's Interior and Safety Ministry reported 56 men and 97 women of varying ethnicities were affected by the tragedy.

Among the dead, authorities report they included 26 foreign nationals, and victims from countries including the United States, China, Iran, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan, Australia, Norway, France, Russia, Austria, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

Anne Gieske and Steven Blesi were the two Americans that were trampled and killed during the stampede.

Gieske was a 20-year-old nursing student, from northern Kentucky, was on a study-abroad trip in Seoul.

"She was a bright light loved by all," Dan Gieske, her father, said. "We ask for your prayers but also the respect of our privacy. Anne's final gift to us was dying in the state of sanctifying grace. We know we will one day be reunited with her in God's Kingdom."

Blesi was also two months into the study abroad program as a junior at Kennesaw State University. According to The Washington Post, it had been his dream since before the pandemic to attend school in South Korea, aspiring to be multilingual and work in East Asia.

"It was like it stabbed like a hundred million times simultaneously," Steve Blesi's father told The New York Times."It was like your world just collapsing. It was numb and devastating all at the same time."

According to his father, Blesi attended the festivities without a costume.

"I texted him maybe a half-hour before all this happened, and I said, 'I know you're out and about. Be safe,'" he added. "I never got a reply to that."

President Joe Biden shared his condolences on Twitter alongside other international leaders.

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"Jill and I are devastated to learn that at least two Americans are among so many who lost their lives in Seoul," he wrote. "Our hearts go out to their loved ones in this time of grief, and we continue to pray for the recovery of all who were injured."

Although the reason for the incident has not yet been identified, fire officials and witnesses have reported that despite the alley being completely full, people continued to pour in. Then the people at the top of the slope fell, toppling over those below them.

President Suk-yeol has declared a period of national mourning and declared Itaewon district a disaster zone after this tragic event. This is the first peace-time disaster in the country since 2014's ferry sinking where 304 people died.