World News for Students of English

03-11-2022 07:00

In Seoul, South Korea, a Halloween stampede killed at least 153 people in a crowded nightlife area.

The Halloween event was the first in three years that was free of coronavirus restrictions and social distancing. Many of the party goers wore masks and Halloween costumes.

A huge crowd surged into an alley, and some witnesses described the crowd became increasingly unruly and agitated. After the stampede, community centers became makeshift facilities for missing persons as friends desperately sought for their loved ones.

After the president declared a period of national mourning on Sunday, he visited the site of the stampede. He expressed condolences to the victims, most of whom were in their 20s. The disaster was the country’s deadliest since the 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 people, mainly high school students.

Difficult words: stampede (a sudden panic and movement of many people at the same time), agitated (upset or nervous), makeshift (temporary).

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