Halloween stampede in Seoul leaves at least 149 dead

People sit on the street after being rescued, at the scene where dozens of people were injured in a stampede during a Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, October 29, 2022. REUTERS/Kim Hong-ji

SEOUL (Reuters) - At least 149 people, mostly teenagers and young adults in their 20s, were killed in a crush when a huge crowd celebrating Halloween surged into an alley in a nightlife area of the South Korean capital Seoul on Saturday night, emergency officials said.

A further 65 people were injured in the melee in Seoul's Itaewon district, Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, said in a briefing at the scene.