At least 120 killed during incident at Halloween festivities in Seoul
By Gawon Bae, CNN
(CNN) - At least 120 people are now reported to have been killed during an incident at Halloween festivities in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood Saturday night, according to the Yongsan Fire Department chief.
At least 100 others were also injured, the chief added.
The cause of the deaths was not immediately provided but the chief said many people fell amid the Halloween festivities, resulting in casualties.
Yonhap News Agency earlier reported that people suffered from "cardiac arrest," attributing fire authorities. Emergency officials received at least 81 people in Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood reporting "difficulty breathing."
Authorities have yet to provide exact details on the cause of the incident.
Police closed off the area and social media videos showed people lying in the streets and on stretchers as first responders rendered aid.
The fire chief said that a total of 848 emergency response forces have been dispatched, including 364 firefighters and 400 police officials.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol sent a disaster medical assistance team to the Halloween incident, according to the presidential office.
The president also ordered authorities to secure emergency beds in hospitals nearby and to implement swift rescue operations and treatment, presidential spokesman Lee Jae-Myung said in a briefing.
Yoon was in an emergency meeting regarding the situation, the office said in a statement.
The-CNN-Wire
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