Seoul Halloween stampede: A look at recent crowd rushes across the world

Seoul stampede tragedy: South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday.

Pic Credit: File Photo

The deadly stampede in South Korea's capital Seoul on Saturday night (Oct 29) has led to at least 151 deaths. The tragedy occurred when a crowd celebrating Halloween surged into an alley in Seoul. Most of the victims were teenagers and young adults in their 20s. South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday and expressed condolences to the victims, according to Reuters. "This is truly tragic," he said in a statement. "A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night."

Take a look at a few of the world's worst stampedes in the recent past:

Oct 1, 2022: In a deadly stampede, 135 football fans were killed in Indonesia. The victims were spooked and panicked after tear gas was shot inside the stadium after a Super East Java Derby between host team Arema FC versus Persebaya Surabaya in Kanjuruhan Stadium. The police had fired tear gas as a crowd control measure. This measure, however, is banned by FIFA.

May 28, 2022: In Nigeria, a charity event Port Harcourt Polo Club saw the deaths of 31 people. A huge crowd of about 100 was present at the event in hopes of getting free food and clothing. This had caused a lot of commotion.

Jan 24, 2022: To watch a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations football match, fans had tried to enter the football stadium. However, outside the stadium, at least 8 people were killed and 50 were injured.

Jan 1, 2022: The Vaishno Devi Temple stampede in Kashmir led to at least 12 people's death and around 16 were injured. There was a huge rush of people wanting to seek blessings and visit the Vaishno Devi Temple on the New Year.

Nov 5, 2021: The infamous Astroworld tragedy at rap star Travis Scott's concert in Texas, US left 10 dead and over 300 injured. In addition, 11 people suffered cardiac arrests.

April 30, 2021: This stampede occurred at the annual Meron pilgrimage during Lag BaOmer in Israel. Around 100,000 people had arrived for the event and at the stampede, at least 45 were killed.

Aug 22, 2020: This was during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. The National Police of Peru had raided the Thomas Restobar nightclub to stop an illegal gathering amid the pandemic guidelines. About 13 people were killed and 6 were injured.

(With Reuters inputs)