South Korean police admitted Tuesday that they responded to several urgent reports of danger in deadly Halloween event It was “not enough”.
156 at least mostly young people were killed and scores more injured, in a deadly The crowd rushes late on Saturday at first postHalloween epidemic party in The famous nightlife area of Itaewon in Seoul.
estimated at 100,000 people flock to areabut because it was notofficial” event with Certain organizer, neither the police nor the local authorities were actively managing the crowd.
He added, “There have been multiple police reports indicating the seriousness of the site just before the accident” national Police Chief Yoon Hee-kyun said.
The police learned that “a large crowd had gathered even before the accident occurred, which urgently indicates dangerHe said, acknowledging way this is information It was treated as “inadequate”.
inside seoul minister on became tuesday first higher official to make clear Apology public for disaster, one of The worst ever in The state history.
“I’d like like To take this opportunity to express my sincerest apologies to public Such as minister in Cost of The people’s safety for This incident,” Lee Sang Min said before bowing head In front of lawmakers and cameras.
He promised to investigate what was caused crush the crowd and ensure disaster on This scale can not happen again.
South Korea is typically strong on crowd control, with Protest rallies are often policed so heavily that officers can be outnumbered participants.
But the police deployed only 137 officers in Itaewon for Halloween, while 6,500 officers were present at a protest across the city attended by about 25,000 people, local reports said.
South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol said on Tuesday that the country urgently needs to improve system for Great management crowds in waking up of disaster.
“The safety of The people Important, whether there is a file event He said at a cabinet meeting.
he called for country to developcutting-edge digital Capabilities ‘to improve crowd management – but critics claims this tools already It exists and has not yet been published in Itaewon.
An unavoidable disaster
There is a file in Seoul City Hall real- watch time system who uses mobile Phone data to predict crowd size, but it didn’t work local Saturday night media mentioned.
Itaewon Provincial Authorities also did not post any safety periodicals with Officials say Halloween event Considered a “phenomenon”, not a “festival” required a official plan for Crowd control.
At night, dozens of in thousands of people They crowded into a narrow alley, with Description of eyewitnesses how with No police or crowd control in Sight, confused attendants push and shove, crush the trapped in The Road.
Analysts say it was easy to avoid with just small number of Police officers.
“Good and safe crowd management is not about lineage, it’s about crowd strategy – for C said. Keith Steele, Crowd One: “Safe Crowd Capacity, Flow, and Density” science professor in the University of Suffolk.
South Korean expert Lee Young Joo said that if the local police had known it would be short, they could have pursued help From local authorities or even residents or shop friends.
“it’s not just Numbers, ‘Li, a professor from the department of Fire and disasters in the university of Seoul told AFP.
“the question is, how did they manage with limited number (of Police) and what kind of Actions they took up for He. She.”
