SEOUL (AFP) – South Korean police yesterday blamed negligence and planning failures for last year’s Halloween crowd crush in Seoul that killed over 150 people.
Scores of young costumed partygoers, mostly women in their 20s, died in the disaster on October 29 in the capital’s popular Itaewon nightlife area.
A special team that spent months combing through evidence and interviewing officials, said at the end of its probe that there had been massive planning and response failures – but stopped short of blaming any top government or national policy agency officials.
“Organisations that are legally obligated to prevent and respond to disasters – police, district offices and Seoul Metro – did not establish safety measures in advance,” team’s head Sohn Jae-han told reporters.
“Appropriate measures were not taken even after receiving rescue requests on the day of the disaster,” he said.
Poor cooperation between agencies and delays in communications and relief efforts contributed to a higher death toll, he added. Six people have been arrested due to the probe – including Yongsan Police Station former head Lee Im-jae, which oversees Itaewon, and Yongsan district office head Park Hee-young.
Both Lee and Park are being held in detention on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.
South Korea. PHOTO: AP
