At least 150 people have been killed in a crush when a huge crowd celebrating Halloween surged into an alley in a nightlife area of the South Korean capital Seoul last night.
Emergency officials at the scene have said a further 150 people were injured in the melee in Seoul’s Itaewon district.
Many of the injured were in serious condition and receiving emergency treatment, the officials said.
It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years after the country lifted COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing. Many of the partygoers were wearing masks and Halloween costumes.
Some witnesses described the crowd becoming increasingly unruly and agitated as the evening deepened. The incident took place at about 10:20pm (1320 GMT).
Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, said in a briefing at the scene, “A number of people fell during a Halloween festival, and we have a large number of casualties.” Many of those killed were near a nightclub.
The Parliamentary House Committee yesterday (June 20) decided to reduce the monthly food fee from parliamentary officers and employees, reversing a recent increase.
As per the new decision, the meal fee for executive officers has been reduced from Rs.4,000 to Rs.3,000, and for general employees from Rs.2,500 to Rs.2,000.
This marks the third revision of the meal fee in recent times.
Parliamentary sources said the reduction was made in response to requests from staff. A group of employees recently submitted a letter to parliamentary leadership, announcing a boycott of the dining hall due to unaffordable food costs following allowance cuts.
Meanwhile, the monthly food allowance for Members of Parliament was recently increased.
General Manager of Sri Lanka Railways – Dhammika Jayasundara says arrangements have been made to import 05 power-set trains equipped with automatic doors.
These fully air-conditioned trains with doors that automatically open at arrival and close at departure, will enhance passenger safety and convenience.
He noted that the carriages are designed for economy-class passengers and are similar to those used internationally.
He further said that an international tender has already been called for the procurement, and the trains are expected to arrive in Sri Lanka by the latter half of 2026.
The Meteorology Department says that several spells of showers will occur in the Western, Sabaragamuwa and North-western provinces and in Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy, Galle and Matara districts today (June 21).
Showers or thundershowers may occur at a few places in the Uva province and in Ampara and Batticaloa districts during the afternoon or night.
Fairly strong winds of about 30-40 kmph can be expected at times over Western slopes of the central hills and in Northern, North-central, Southern and North-western provinces and in Trincomalee District.
The general public is kindly requested to take adequate precautions to minimize damages caused by temporary localized strong winds and lightning during thundershowers.