RMG Perera 
Over 150 people die in a stampede during Halloween in South Korea.
153 people were killed and 150 others were injured when people who were celebrating Halloween were crushed in an alley in the capital city of Seoul, South Korea.
The incident was reported in Itaewon, a popular night life district. Dead bodies were seen lining the streets and some were lying unconscious.
Emergency services officials said most of the dead were teenagers in their 20s who had come together for a Halloween celebration for the first time in three years after the lifting of Covid restrictions.
The authorities have warned that the condition of 19 of the injured is serious and the death toll may increase. Officials also said that many people who were caught in the stampede had heart attacks.
The stampedes came as young people began to flock to an alley near the Hamilton Hotel, a major party spot in the Itaewon district, popular for nightlife.
Some local media reports claimed that the stampede took place after a large number of people ran at once after hearing that a celebrity was coming.
An estimated 100,000 people took to the streets of Itaewon for Halloween festivities, many wearing fancy masks or costumes.
The police had been deployed to control the crowd even before the Halloween event, but they were unable to prevent the unexpected stampede.
More than 400 emergency workers across the country were called to treat the injured.
Ambulances lined the streets, and police and emergency workers began collecting the injured and helping. It is reported that there are at least two foreigners among the dead.
