Most of South Korea’s stampede victims are ‘in their teens and 20s’: Top updates | World news

At least 151 people have died in a stampede as huge Halloween crowds thronged a narrow street in the South Korean capital, Seoul as officials fear the death toll could rise further. At least 82 people are believed to have been injured and rushed to hospital in what has become the country’s worst disaster in years.

Those killed or injured were teenagers and people in their twenties, according to Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department, Sky News reported.

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The Ministry of Interior said the victims included 20 foreigners from the United States, Uzbekistan, Austria, Norway, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Sri Lanka.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol declared a national mourning period as condolences were released from the rest of the world. South Korea also ordered flags in government buildings and public offices to fly at half-mast.

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“My heart is heavy and it’s hard to contain my sadness,” director Yoon Suk-Yeol said as he visited the disaster site.

The Seoul government also announced that a public memorial will be organized for the victims and their families in mourning.

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Nearly 100,000 people have gathered in Itaewon for the country’s biggest outdoor Halloween parties since the pandemic began and strict rules on gatherings were enforced.