NO overseas Filipino workers (OFW) were injured in the Itaewon stampede.

In an initial report to Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople, Labor Attaché Maria Celeste Valderrama reported that no OFWs were injured in the stampede that happened Saturday night at the Itaewon district in Seoul, South Korea.

The Secretary has ordered the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Seoul (POLO-Seoul) to monitor the situation and provide regular updates to the DMW.

The incident happened Saturday night at the Itaewon district during a pre-Halloween celebration attended by some 100,000 participants. Media reports quoting local authorities put the death toll at 149, four of whom were foreign nationals, and another 150 injured.

Some 76 people were also injured from the incident, 15 of whom are foreigners, the Embassy said citing Korea’s National Fire Agency.

“The Embassy is closely monitoring the situation and is in coordination with local authorities in case any Filipino national has been affected. To date, the Embassy has yet to receive reports of any Filipino victim in the stampede,” the Philippine Embassy in South Korea said in a statement.

The Embassy then advised Filipinos in Korea to observe precautions during large events.

There are over 50,000 Filipinos living and working in South Korea, but as the country reopens its borders and ease restrictions, more Filipino tourists have also started coming in.

The stampede, described as the “deadliest in South Korea’s history, took place in a narrow downhill alley in the popular entertainment district, with the victims mostly in their 20s.

Latest reports citing authorities said the foreigners killed include those from Iran, Uzbekistan, China and Norway.

Halloween celebrations in the capital city, especially in Itaewon and Hongdae have been attracting locals and foreigners alike as early as Oct. 28, with huge crowds filling pubs along its narrow streets. This was the first Halloween event in Seoul since the pandemic broke out.

Videos of the disaster circulating online show paramedics administering CPR on dozens of victims while some were struggling to pull the victims out of the cramped alley.

There is no information yet as to what caused the stampede but investigations are underway. With Philippine News Agency