NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 30 — President William Ruto has sent a condolence note to South Korea following a deadly Halloween crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district.
“Kenya mourns with the people of South Korea following the tragic crush that claimed many lives. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those affected,” the Head of State said in a tweet on Sunday.
The Saturday incident which claimed 151 lives was reported at shortly after 10pm local time (13:00GMT).
The stampede involved a huge crowd gathered at a narrow alley near the Hamilton Hotel.
South Korea announced a national mourning period to mourn the deaths. Some 82 people we reported to have been injured.
President Yoon Suk-yeol promised a thorough investigation to establish what triggered the deadly crush even as he committed fundamental improvements in place to avoid a similar calamity in future.
Most victims were teenagers or young adults in their early 20s, according to the country’s fire service.
The 151 casualties included 19 foreign nationals from China, Australia, Iran, Norway and Uzbekistan, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Official reports Sunday indicated 2,000 persons were yet to be accounted for.
