South Korea’s Prime Minister is promising the government will “thoroughly investigate” after a horrifying Halloween stampede in Seoul killed at least 154 people.
Han Duck-soo assured the government will “do its best to make necessary improvements” to prevent another disaster happening again.
He and Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon paid tribute at memorial altar for the victims in front of City Hall in the country’s capital.
Saturday’s deadly crowd surge happened at a sloped, narrow alley in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood, a popular nightlife district, with witnesses and survivors recalling a “hell-like” chaos of people falling on each other “like dominoes.”
They say the entire Itaewon area was extremely jammed with slow-moving vehicles and partygoers clad in Halloween costumes, making it impossible for rescuers and ambulances to reach the site in time.
“The government will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and do its best to make necessary improvements of systems to prevent a similar accident from recurring,” Mr Duck-soo said at the start of a government meeting on the disaster.
Police have launched a task force to investigate the stampede, the Interior and Safety Ministry said in a release.
Officers are analysing CCTV from security cameras in the area and related video clips posted on social media.
They were also interviewing witnesses to find exactly when and where the crowd surge started and how it developed, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
The Itaewon area, famous for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, has become increasingly popular among young South Koreans in recent years.
An estimated 100,000 people were gathered there in the country’s largest Halloween celebrations since the pandemic began.
Police said in a statement they deployed 137 officers for the Halloween festivities last Saturday — much more than the 34-90 officers in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
As of Monday morning, the government said it has identified 153 of the 154 dead people and informed bereaved relatives.
Nearly two-thirds of the dead — 98 — were women. It said 149 others remain injured. The death count could rise farther as officials said 33 of the injured were in serious conditions.
More than 80 per cent of the dead were in their 20s or 30s and 11 were teenagers, the Interior Ministry release said. The dead also included 26 foreigners.
Bereaved families were expected to begin funerals for their loved ones with government support.
President Yoon on Sunday declared a one-week national mourning period and ordered flags at government buildings and public offices to fly at half-mast. The government opened temporary memorials Monday in Seoul and other major cities in South Korea.
People ranging from ordinary citizens to top officials including Yoon visited the sites, placed white flowers and deeply bowed to show respect.
