A crowd of partygoers were filmed dancing in front of waiting ambulances as emergency crews rushed to save dozens of seriously injured patients crushed in a horror stampede in Seoul.
The disturbing scene has sparked outrage online following the traumatic incident, which has so far killed at least 151 and injured about 150 others, including 19 foreigners.
The stampede took place on Saturday at around 10.22pm (local time) as Halloween crowds merged with weekend partygoers in the South Korean suburb of Itaewon, an area known for trendy bars, clubs and restaurants, as rumours swirled a local “unidentified celebrity” was in the area.
While frantic emergency crews and bystanders worked to save people from catastrophic injuries sustained in the crush, including cardiac arrest, a group of people continued partying on the street.
The shocking footage showed the sizeable group dancing and jumping on the spot as many held their phones in the air filming in the direction of parked ambulances.
A faint chant could also be heard coming from the crowd in the footage, which has since gone viral on Twitter.
Hundreds have condemned those that feature in the clip, which is understood to have been captured in the aftermath of the crush.
“Meaningless to say I have absolutely no sympathy to the people filming and dancing while people are dying next to them, and I seriously hope you get a huge karma coming your way, you could have helped those people,” one person wrote on Twitter.
“I really want to know. An emergency happened, and they are still dancing? What happened to these people?” another said.
Someone else described the people who continued to party following the incident as “disgusting”.
“I hope the people who organised these Halloween parties in Itaewon get prosecuted. Many precious lives lost on a night which was supposed to be fun. Clubs are also still allowed to play music and people are dancing and singing while bodies lay on the ground. Disgusting,” they wrote.
“Wow, people are doing this in front of an ambulance. I don’t want to live in the same country,” another said.
Crows rushed to see ‘celebrity’
Reports have surfaced suggesting the immense congestion that caused the death of dozens of partygoers could have been the result of people rushing to get a glimpse of a local celebrity.
The alleged celebrity has not been identified, however, they were speculated to be a K-pop artist.
Large crowds reportedly rushed to gather in a narrow alley near the area’s Hamilton hotel, causing a sudden influx of people on an already busy precinct.
“How tragic and senseless please everyone be mindful of each other even in the excitement of seeing a celebrity … praying for the people of Seoul and those who lost loved ones,” one wrote of the matter on Twitter.
“No words are there, crazy, this obsession with toxic celebrities needs to stop,” another said.
Devastating images emerged in the wake of the tragedy that showed bodies lining a street, covered with blankets.
Fire Department official Choi Seong-beom said many of the victims, aged in their teens and twenties, had been difficult to identify because of their Halloween costumes and due to many not carrying identification at the time.
Some officials have blamed the crowd surge for the deaths, which has been described by a local fire official as a “presumed stampede”.
Several reports suggested many victims suffered cardiac arrest and breathing trouble, with initial reports of people being “buried” beneath the crowds just before 10.30pm (local time). Chief of the Yongsan-gu Fire Department, Choi Seong-bum, said there was no gas leak or fire linked to the deaths.
