South Korea police admit accountability for Halloween tragedy that left over 150 lifeless

South Korea’s police chief admitted “a heavy responsibility” for failing to stop a current crowd surge that killed greater than 150 folks throughout Halloween festivities in Seoul.

Rescue staff and firefighters work on the scene of a crushing accident in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo: Reuters)

By Associated Press: South Korea’s police chief admitted “a heavy responsibility” for failing to stop a current crowd surge that killed greater than 150 folks throughout Halloween festivities in Seoul, saying Tuesday that officers didn’t successfully deal with earlier emergency calls concerning the impending catastrophe.

The admission got here because the South Korean authorities faces rising public scrutiny over whether or not the group surge Saturday night time in Seoul’s Itaewon district, a well-liked nightlife neighborhood, might have been prevented and who ought to take the accountability for the nation’s worst catastrophe in years.

“I feel a heavy responsibility (for the disaster) as the head of one of related government offices,” Yoon Hee Keun, commissioner basic of the Korean National Police Agency, informed a televised information convention. “Police will do their best to prevent a tragedy like this from happening again.”

Yoon stated an preliminary investigation has discovered that there have been many pressing calls by residents notifying authorities concerning the potential hazard of a crowd gathering in Itaewon, however officers who had acquired these calls didn’t reply to them in a passable method.

Yoon stated police have subsequently launched an intense inner probe to look deeper into the officers’ dealing with of the emergency calls and different points like their on-the-spot response to the group surge in Itaewon at that night time.

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The catastrophe — which left at the least 156 folks lifeless and 151 others injured — was concentrated in a downhill, slim alley in Itaewon. Witnesses described folks falling on each other, struggling extreme respiratory difficulties and falling unconscious. They additionally recalled rescuers and ambulances failed to succeed in the crammed alleys in time as a result of the complete Itaewon space was extraordinarily full of slow-moving autos and a crowd of partygoers clad in Halloween costumes.

During a Cabinet council assembly Tuesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol additionally acknowledged that South Korea lacks analysis on a crowd administration. He referred to as for utilizing drones and different high-tech assets to develop an efficient crowd management functionality. He stated the federal government will quickly maintain a gathering with specialists to evaluation general nationwide security guidelines.

The crowd surge is South Korea’s deadliest catastrophe for the reason that 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 folks and uncovered the nation’s lax security guidelines and regulatory failures. Saturday’s crowd surge has subsequently raised public questions on what South Korea has executed to stop human-made disasters.

After the Itaewon catastrophe, police launched a 475-member activity power to seek out its trigger.

Senior police officer Nam Gu-Jun informed reporters Monday that officers have obtained movies taken by about 50 safety cameras within the space and have been analyzing video clips posted on social media. Nam stated police have additionally interviewed greater than 40 witnesses and survivors to date.

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Police stated they’d despatched 137 officers to take care of order throughout Halloween festivities on Saturday, far more than the 34-90 officers mobilized in 2017, 2018 and 2019 earlier than the pandemic. But some observers questioned whether or not the 137 officers have been sufficient to deal with the estimated 100,00 folks gathered Saturday in Itaewon.

Adding extra questions concerning the position of police was the truth that they despatched 7,000 officers to a different a part of Seoul earlier Saturday to watch dueling protests involving tens of hundreds of individuals. Police additionally acknowledged that the 137 officers dispatched to Itaewon have been primarily assigned to watch crime, with a selected give attention to narcotics use — not the group management.

The demise toll might rise as officers stated that 29 of the injured have been in severe situation. The lifeless included some 26 international nationals from Iran, China, Russia, the United States, Japan and elsewhere.

President Yoon requested officers to supply the identical authorities help to the bereaved households of the international victims as to South Korean lifeless and injured folks. He additionally thanked many world leaders for sending condolence messages over the catastrophe.

The Itaewon space, identified for its expat-friendly, cosmopolitan environment, is the nation’s hottest spot for Halloween-themed occasions and events, with younger South Koreans participating in costume competitions at bars, golf equipment and eating places. Saturday’s gathering of the estimated 100,000 folks in Itaewon was the largest Halloween celebration within the space for the reason that pandemic started.

Halloween festivities in Itaewon haven’t any official organizers. South Korean police stated Monday they don’t have any particular procedures for dealing with incidents comparable to crowd surges throughout an occasion that has no organizers.

Published On:

Nov 1, 2022