This Halloween weekend won't soon be forgotten in South Korea – though not for the typically joyous (and often mischievous) reasons that come along with the holiday. As the New York Times reports, over 140 people have been confirmed dead and even more were left injured following a crowd surge that took place in the streets of Itaewon on Saturday (October 29) evening.
It's been that as many as 100,000 people gathered in the nightlife district of the city to participate in Halloween festivities amongst relatively tight alleyways when some speculate an event triggered a stampede of some sort amongst patrons.
As TMZ notes, an unsubstantiated rumour has alleged that the crowd crush took place as a result of excited fans rushing toward a local bar after hearing word of a celebrity sighting, although it remains unclear exactly who the reported celebrity was.
Videos of the aftermath quickly began surfacing on social media, with dozens of seemingly lifeless bodies laid out across the street as bystanders and first responders alike performed CPR in hopes of reviving at least some of them.
Reports straight from the scene are stating that several of those injured in the crush went into cardiac arrest, which will likely be listed as a cause of death for many of those lost in the mass tragedy.
Two hours ago, the NYT shared an update from Choi Seong-beom, the chief of Seoul's Youngsan fire department. "Mr. Choi said that some of the injured could die too. Of those who were confirmed dead, 46 were in hospital, with the rest taken to a nearby gymnasium," they shared.
"There were so many people that we couldn’t move," 46-year-old survivor Song Su-yeon told the outlet of her experience arriving to Itaewon an hour after the event took place. "It looked like I would have died if I had fallen."
The unexpected incident marks the worst peacetime disaster that South Korea has seen since the sinking of the Sewol ferry back in 2014, which killed more than 300 people.
At this time, forensic teams are said to be focused on properly identifying the victims. Tap back in with HNHH later for any updates from South Korea.
RIP.