Death toll rises to 149 in South Korean stampede

By Seda Sevencan and Mehmet Sah Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - At least 149 people have been killed, including two foreigners, in a deadly stampede in South Korea, fire authorities said Sunday.

Choi Cheon-sik, an official from South Korea's National Fire Service, said authorities thought the accident occurred as a result of people behind a celebration pushing the crowd into a narrow street.

He said 150 people were injured and added that 50 had sudden cardiac arrests.

Choi noted that more than 800 emergency personnel and 140 emergency vehicles were dispatched to the scene.

Victims in their 20s accounted for the age group most affected by the accident, authorities said.

The stampede occurred near the Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon's entertainment zone after a large number of people were believed to have entered a narrow alley.