a period of national mourning following a crush in the capital, seoul, that killed at least 150 people and injured dozens more. huge crowds of teenagers and young people had jammed into the narrow streets of the itaewon district to celebrate halloween. the area is known for its busy nightlife. a fire service spokesman said most of those who died were in their teens or early 20s. earlier, on social media, people had spoken of the streets being so busy that they felt unsafe. our correspondent in seoul, jean mackenzie, has this report and a warning you may find some of the images distressing. young people out to party, having fun, until things suddenly change. oh, my god! by the end of the night, bodies lined the street, some in costume. others were carried into ambulances lifeless and barefoot. the chilling sign of people who have tried to run but not been able to. the crush started in a small alleyway it was so packed, people were stuck, elbow to elbow, they had barely an in
into ambulances lifeless and barefoot. the chilling sign of people who have tried to run but not been able to. the crush started in a small alleyway it was so packed, people were stuck, elbow to elbow. they had barely an inch to move when the crowd surged forward. translation: the incident happened as large numbers of people fell down during the halloween festival, which caused serious injuries. this area of seoul is one of the most popular places for a night out, for locals and tourists. it s the place to celebrate halloween and it s estimated 100,000 had come tonight. there were so many people to the point we were being crushed on the pavement, to the point where we had to spill onto the road where there were cars. no one really understood what was going on. but there were already several police cars at the scene in front of itaewon station, and police standing on top of their police cars, desperately trying to tell people to leave the area as soon as possible. sirens w
by in case of emergencies. this was clearly not the case here. but the scene of the accident is still very much alive, with emergency responders and police and bystanders. anthony, what more are we learning about what happened last night? it s very hard to know exactly what triggered it. there is a lot of speculation on social media but it helps to understand the area where it happened, itaewon. as mentioned, it is a very multicultural neighbourhood, you ve got a mosque surrounded by halal food restaurants, you ve got restaurants from every part of the world, you have international schools. it s also a very hilly district and where the accident took place was not on the main street. a lot of the bars are off the main street, up the hill,
as mentioned, it is a very multicultural neighbourhood, you ve got a mosque surrounded by halal food restaurants, you ve got restaurants from every part of the world, you have international schools. it s also a very hilly district and where the accident took place was not on the main street. a lot of the bars are off the main street, up the hill, in these tiny little alleys, and clearly, they were too packed and clearly something triggered a stampede, with people trying to get through these tiny passageways. but the exact cause of it, what got people running, is not clear. it was certainly too crowded and i was on the streets in several parts of seoul and notjust itaewon but other areas too were jammed with people celebrating halloween.
of these were very well managed with emergency crew standing by in case of emergencies. this was clearly not the case here. the scene of the accident is still very much alive, with emergency responders and police and bystanders. and bystanders. anthony, what more learning and bystanders. anthony, what more learning about and bystanders. anthony, what more learning about what - and bystanders. anthony, what more learning about what lastl more learning about what last night? more learning about what last niuht? , , more learning about what last niuht? , , ., more learning about what last niuht? h ., more learning about what last niuht? h , ., ., ~ ., night? it s very hard to know exactly what night? it s very hard to know exactly what triggered - night? it s very hard to know exactly what triggered it. - exactly what triggered it. there is a lot of speculation on social media but it helps to understand the area where it happened. as mentioned, itaewon is a very multicultural ne