At least 26 foreign nationals from 14 countries killed in Seoul's Halloween stampede
Oct 30, 2022
Seoul [South Korea], October 30 : At least 26 foreign nationals from 14 countries were killed in Saturday's crowd crush in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea's foreign ministry said in a press release on Sunday.
The ministry said another 15 foreigners were injured. Most of them have returned home, while six are still being treated in the country, reported CNN.
The ministry said it is taking all measures to provide support to bereaved relatives of the foreigners killed in the disaster, such as allowing entry into South Korea and helping with funeral arrangements.
Two US citizens were among those killed in Saturday's Halloween disaster in Itaewon, the popular nightlife district in South Korea's capital Seoul, the US embassy told CNN.
"Our staff in Seoul and colleagues in the United States are working tirelessly to provide consular assistance to the victims of last night's incident and their families," an embassy statement read Sunday.
At least 153 people were killed in a crush, with another 133 injured, when crowds of people celebrating Halloween swelled in narrow alleys of Seoul's popular nightlife district.
A French national is among those killed in the Seoul Halloween crowd surge, according to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
"It is with great sadness that we learned of the death of one of our compatriots during the tragedy in Seoul. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Europe via its crisis support center and its embassy in Seoul is fully mobilized to assist and support the family of our compatriot," a spokesperson for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Sunday.
One Austrian was among those killed in the Seoul Halloween crowd surge, the Austrian foreign ministry said Sund, reported CNN.
"We are shocked and deeply saddened having to confirm the death of an Austrian citizen in yesterday's mass panic in Seoul. The Austrian was on a visit to the Korean capital," Gabriele Juen, a diplomatic spokesperson, told CNN in a statement Sunday.
So far, China, Iran, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan, Australia, Norway and France have all confirmed deaths of their nationals in the incident that took place in the popular Seoul nightclub district of Itaewon Saturday night, reported CNN.
Seoul Metropolitan Police said they have confirmed the identities of nearly all those killed in an apparent crowd surge at Seoul's popular nightclub district Itaewon on Saturday.
The identities of 150 people killed have been confirmed, police told CNN on Sunday. The death toll from the disaster stands at 153.
The three bodies who have yet to be identified are all young women whose nationalities have yet to be verified, they added.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government had said they had received 4,024 missing persons reports as of 5 pm local time (4 a.m. ET), though some of these reports could relate to the same people.
Police said there is no active search for those reported missing as they believe no one went missing from the scene. They said thousands of missing person reports have been used to help identify those killed in the incident.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared a period of national mourning.
