Officials in Seoul say at least 146 people are dead and 150 injured after an apparent stampede on narrow street packed with Halloween party revelers, the AP reports. Seoul Fire Chief Choi Seong-beom warned the death toll could further rise as personnel continue to assess the scene.
Local media indicated the crowd may have rushed due to rumors that an unidentified celebrity was hanging out at a bar in the Itaewon district. More than 100,000 revelers may have been out as Saturday was the first Halloween weekend since COVID restrictions on partying were eased. The victims were mostly people in their 20s and 30s, with foreigners of various nationalities among the dead and injured. It is the second incident of mass deaths in a crowd this month in Asia, as more than 125 people died October 1st in a stampede in Indonesia as they tried to flee a massive brawl between rival soccer hooligan gangs at a match in Malang, East Java.