Scores were crushed and killed by a large crowd pushing forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities in Seoul on Saturday night.Lee Jin-man/AP

Get your news from a source that’s not owned and controlled by oligarchs. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily.

At least 146 people were crushed and killed on Saturday night in a crowd that had gathered to celebrate Halloween in a popular nightclub district of Seoul, according to city officials, in what is now one of South Korea’s deadliest peacetime tragedies. At least 150 more were injured. 

Television and social media videos of the chaotic aftermath showed streams of ambulances and hundreds of emergency workers rushing to help victims laid out in the streets of Itaewon, in central Seoul. Responders could be seen applying CPR to scores of bodies. Early reports suggest the tragedy unfolded outside a train station as a crowd surged in a narrow alleyway that is home to several bars, according to the New York Times, as thousands attended weekend parties in the densely packed neighborhood.

The victims were a mix of local and foreign partygoers in their 20s and 30s, according to local media reports cited by the Washington Post. Authorities have warned the death toll could climb.

The immediate cause of the incident is still being investigated.

This is a breaking news story. It will be updated as more details become available.

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate