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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Katie Weston

Fire chief's hand trembles as he says most Halloween crush victims were 'in teens or 20s'

A fire chief was filmed trembling as he gave a press briefing in the wake of a Halloween crush that claimed over 150 lives in the South Korean capital of Seoul.

Officials have updated the death toll to 153, with dozens more injured, in one of the country's deadliest tragedies last night.

In the hours after the devastating incident, Chief of Yongsan Fire Department Choi Seong-beom was seen shaking as he held up a microphone to say the victims were mostly aged in their teens and 20s.

Many social media users shared the clip online, thanking the firefighters, medics and police officers who attended the scene.

South Korea 's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday, saying: "This is truly tragic. A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night."

The Prince and Princess of Wales also sent their "love and prayers" to those grieving loved ones killed in the crowd surge.

Chief of Yongsan Fire Department Choi Seong-beom was seen shaking as he held up a microphone (Reuters)

A message on the Kensington Palace Twitter account said: "Catherine and I send all our love and prayers to the parents, families and loved ones of those tragically lost in Seoul yesterday evening. W & C."

William's message came after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the deaths as "horrific news", adding in a statement on Saturday: "All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time."

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said he was "saddened by the tragic situation", while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said it was "horrendous news".

Choi informed the media that most of the victims were aged in their teens and 20s (Reuters)

The victims were crushed when a huge party crowd surged into a narrow alley in the Itaewon nightlife district, where tens of thousands of people were believed to have gathered for the Halloween festivities.

On Sunday, families and friends desperately sought word of loved ones at community centres turned into facilities for missing people.

"This news came like a bolt from the blue sky," said a father who burst into tears as he collected his daughter's body from a morgue in the nation's capital on Sunday.

People sit on the street after being rescued at the scene of the crush (REUTERS)

At least 90% of the victims had been identified by midday, with delays affecting some foreign nationals and teenagers who did not yet have identification cards, the Interior Ministry said.

Choi Seong-beom, whose jurisdiction includes Itaewon, said 19 foreign nationals were among those killed.

All the deaths were likely from the crush in the alley, he added.

Relatives of missing people weep at a community service centre (Getty Images)

The Chinese state news agency Xinhua said at least three Chinese nationals were among the dead.

South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol has declared a week of national mourning and ordered flags at government buildings and public offices to fly at half-mast.

Mr Yoon, who has visited the scene, called for officials to investigate the cause of the accident and review the safety of other large cultural and entertainment events to ensure they proceed safely.

Rescue team members wait with stretchers to remove bodies from the scene (REUTERS)

Witnesses had described the crowd becoming increasingly unruly and agitated as the evening went on.

Chaos erupted just before the 10.20pm (1.20pm GMT) crush, with police on hand for the event at times struggling to control the crowds, witnesses said.

Moon Ju-young, 21, said there were clear signs of trouble in the alley before the incident. He said it was more than 10 times as crowded as usual.

A woman lays flowers as she mourns at the street of a deadly crowd surge (Getty Images)

Social media footage showed hundreds of people packed in the narrow, sloped alley crushed and immobile as emergency officials and police tried to pull them free.

The crowd surge is the country's worst disaster in years.

In April 2014, 304 people, mostly high school students, died in a ferry sinking.

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