TEHRAN -- Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Sunday said five Iranian nationals are confirmed to have died in a crowd surge at Halloween festivities in Seoul.
In a statement, Nasser Kanaani offered his condolences to the South Korean government, people and families of victims of Saturday night’s stampede in Seoul.
He expressed hope that all victims of the tragedy would be identified immediately with the South Korean officials’ appropriate measures.
The spokesman noted that the embassy of Iran in Seoul has found out after contacts with the South Korean authorities that five Iranian citizens were among the victims of the incident.
The Islamic Republic’s embassy in Soul is seriously pursuing efforts to uphold the legal and consular rights of the Iranian victims, he stated.
At least 153 people were killed and dozens more hurt in an apparent crowd surge at packed Halloween festivities in Seoul.
Nineteen foreign nationals are among the dead. The victims include people from Iran, Norway, China and Uzbekistan.
The crush took place in the district of Itaewon. What caused the crush is not clear, but witnesses say partygoers had been packed tightly in the district’s narrow streets and it was difficult to move around.
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has declared a period of national mourning.