At least two are dead after dozens of revellers went into cardiac during a stampede to celebrate Halloween in Seoul, South Korea.
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As many as 81 people were reported to be having ‘breathing problems’ after party-goers shoved through a narrow street in the Itaewon leisure district
National broadcaster KBS said two people had been confirmed dead and an unspecified number are feared dead.
Alarming footage showed citizens, police officers and emergency medical workers performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on dozens of people lying in the street.
One clip appeared to show emergency officials desperately trying to save people from being crushed as people were left piling on top of one another.
Firefighters were called to the party hotspot Hamilton Hotel where various Halloween celebrations were being held, news agency Yonhap reported.
Emergency officials received at least 81 calls from people saying they were suffering breathing difficulties.
National Fire Agency official Choi Cheon-sik said 100 people were reportedly injured during the crowd surge.
Choi said around 400 rescue workers from around the nation had been deployed, including nearly all available city personnel.
President Yoon Suk Yeol called for those who were injured to be treated and urged officials to review the safety protocols for the Halloween festivity sites.
He ordered the Ministry of Health and Welfare to deploy disaster medical teams and secure hospital beds for those injured.
Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon, who is on an official visit to Europe, cancelled the rest of his trip and is returning home.
Local media reported that the narrow street was jam-packed with as many as 100,000 people eager to celebrate Halloween.
Some social media users have claimed the surge erupted as a large number of people rushed to a bar to see an unidentified celebrity.
