Xi sends condolences to S Korean president over stampede in Seoul

President Xi Jinping sent a message of condolence on Sunday to Yoon Suk-yeol, president of the Republic of Korea, over a deadly stampede in Seoul's Itaewon district that killed at least 154 people, including four Chinese nationals, during Halloween celebrations.

In his message, Xi said he was shocked to learn about the stampede that caused major casualties and injuries.

On behalf of the Chinese government and Chinese people, Xi expressed deep condolences over the deaths of the victims and sincere sympathies to the injured and families of the bereaved.

It was unfortunate that several Chinese nationals were injured or killed during the accident, Xi said, expressing his hope that the ROK side will spare no effort to treat the injured and appropriately deal with follow-up issues.

Also on Sunday, Premier Li Keqiang sent a message of condolence to ROK Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.

In the country's worst disaster in years, Saturday's stampede — in which over 130 people were also injured — happened as around 100,000 people celebrated Halloween in Seoul's Itaewon nightlife area.

According to police, the accident happened around 10:30 pm on Saturday when people were trapped and crushed as the crowd surged into a narrow alley.