At least 149 people are dead after being crushed by a crowd during Halloween celebrations in Seoul

Today, South Koreans are dealing with the aftermath of the country's worst disaster in years. At least 149 people are dead after being crushed by a crowd during Halloween celebrations in Seoul.

Yeah. Let's go right to Chris Wolf. He lives in Korea, and ten now he's got a reaction from community members to the tragedy.

This is such a devastating tragedy, and the death toll continues to rise, seemingly by the hour. As you said at the last check, it's 149, at least 149 people were killed and another 150 people were injured, some critically. This disaster has sent shockwaves around the world, including right here in a Korean town in Southern California. And I can tell you this community is in shock. People are trying to find out as much about the victims as possible tonight. And remember the area where this happened.

The South Korean capital Seoul, is a very popular tourist destination, so. Visitors from around the world are likely among the casualties. According to multiple sources. At least 149 people have been killed. Mostly teenagers and young adults. They were killed in a crash when.

A massive crowd celebrating Halloween surged into an alley. A very tight space in a popular part of Seoul. The South Korean capital is known for its vibrant nightlife. Filled with bars and restaurants and clubs. The area called Itawan is also a very popular tourist destination. Investigators and witnesses are calling this a melee total complete chaos. Observers believe something triggered a panic and people scrambled for safety. In the frenzy, people were crushed, suffocated, and some possibly stomped to death. This was the first open Halloween celebration in Seoul in three years. After government officials lifted COVID restrictions, witnesses say people continued to pour into the narrow alleyway, which was already packed wall to wall. It is on a slope, and people at the top of the incline started to tumble down over people below them. Some victims were trapped there for at least an hour before being freed.

Rescue and emergency personnel. A makeshift morgue was set up in a building near the carnage. We talked with a local community leader. Here is a Korean town this evening.

Steve Kang has attended the Halloween festival in Itehan in the past but says the crowds exploded this year, and he. Thinks he knows why. Was it very crowded then, when you were there years ago? It was very crowded. It's always usually very crowded, but I've never seen it disagree with what I saw on social media.

Absolutely. I think Seoul is a city of 10 million people, and many of the young people thought this was the first major public open space party that they could really enjoy. I feel, unfortunately, that contributed to this factor. And also, It's one is a very popular destination for foreigners, so I'm afraid there might be some Korean Americans from Los Angeles that might have been a victim of this incident.