From Itaewon Halloween to Kanjuruhan, These Are the World's Largest Crowd Disasters in the Last Decade

The Halloween celebration in Itaewon district, Seoul, South Korea, turned tragic with at least 154 deaths on Saturday night (October 29). This occurred when a surging crowd crammed into narrow alleys in the area, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries.

The Itaewon Halloween party turned horrific after the number of visitors, mostly young people from all over South Korea and even foreign countries, exceeded the capacity of the narrow alleys leading to the celebration venue. As a result, they became crowded and jostled, eventually leading to trampling. Authorities stated that the majority of the victims were young women in their 20s.

The Indonesian Embassy in Seoul reported that two Indonesian citizens (WNI) were victims of the Itaewon Halloween tragedy in South Korea on Saturday night (October 29). This news corrects a previous statement that no Indonesian citizens were among the victims.

"Indonesian citizen, with initials AR, has been treated at Korea University Anam Hospital due to the incident in Itaewon last night (October 29)," stated the Indonesian Embassy in Seoul in a written statement received in Jakarta on Sunday (October 30), as quoted by Katadata.co.id.

The deadly tragedy during the Halloween celebration in the Itaewon district adds to the list of the world's largest crowd disasters. Previously, on October 1, 2022, the Kanjuruhan Stadium tragedy in Malang, Indonesia, after the Arema FC vs. Persebaya match, resulted in 133 deaths.

The following are crowd tragedies over the past decade:

* January 27, 2013 — A fire killed more than 200 people at the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria, Brazil.
* September 24, 2015 — At least 2,411 Hajj pilgrims were trampled to death during the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
* April 30, 2021 — Forty-five people died and dozens more were injured in a stampede at the annual Mount Meron pilgrimage in Israel.
* November 5, 2021 — Fans at a Houston music festival surged the stage during rapper Travis Scott's performance, triggering a panic that resulted in 10 deaths and many more injuries.
* October 1, 2022 — Police fired tear gas as riots broke out after a football match at Kanjuruhan Stadium, Indonesia, causing blocked exits that led to 133 deaths and over 100 injuries.
* October 29, 2022 — At least 154 people died and hundreds more were injured after a crush in narrow alleys in the Itaewon district, South Korea, during Halloween celebrations.

(read: Halloween Celebration Ends in Disaster in Itaewon, 154 Dead)