K-pop cancels concert following tragic South Korea stampede; halloween parties called off

As the Itaewon stampede in Seoul Subway Line 6 took the lives of 153 people, South Korea entered a period of mourning. Yoon Suk-yeol, President of South Korea, has declared a mourning period till November 5. The South Korea stampede has prompted the cancellation of Halloween parties and parades.

As per the Korean Times report, the BTS band has also cancelled their performance. The world-famous BTS band performance was to be the highlight of the Busan One Asia festival and they were supposed to perform in front of a crowd of approximately 40,000 people. Korean Times also reported that the Everland theme park will remain shut till November 20.

All parades and programs halted

Everland theme park has cancelled all Halloween parties and festivals to express condolences for departed souls. They have also cancelled a popular parade that was to feature classic Halloween characters like witches and skeletons. Reports suggest that in the Itaewon stampede, most of the victims were young and in their 20s.

Victims were 'scrambling' to get out of the narrow alley

Itaewon is a popular district in Seoul. The area is known for small, bustling restaurants present in every corner of its small alleys. The area quickly turned into a hub for nightclubs and attracted young locals and the LGBTQ+ communities. The district is also known for its local Muslim population and the Seoul Central Mosque.

Survivors from that night say that they found themselves trapped in a narrow, congested and sloping alley, and that they were scrambling to get out of there. People soon began falling down on each other like "dominoes" as they suffered from breathing issues and cardiac arrests. When paramedics arrived, they were stupefied by the overwhelming number of victims and requested passersby to provide the victims with first aid.

Choi Seong-bum, Yongsan fire department chief spoke to the Yonhap news agency that the horrid death toll includes 22 foreign nationals. They belong to Norway, Uzbekistan, Iran and China. The Halloween event was the first one in 2 years where people were allowed to meet without covid restrictions. As per local media reports, about 100,000 people gathered in the alley, leading to one of the most tragic stampedes in South Korea.