Senior South Korean officials, including interior minister, police chief and Seoul mayor, have apologized for the deadly Itaewon crowd crush that claimed the lives of over 150 people, South Korean media reported on Tuesday
SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st November, 2022) Senior South Korean officials, including interior minister, police chief and Seoul mayor, have apologized for the deadly Itaewon crowd crush that claimed the lives of over 150 people, South Korean media reported on Tuesday.
The deadliest crowd crush in South Korean history occurred in a narrow downhill alley near Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon on Saturday evening after tens of thousands of people gathered in the party district to hold Halloween celebrations. According to the latest data, 156 people died, 30 others were seriously injured. Most of the victims were in their twenties, with 100 of them being women.
"I deeply apologize to the people that the recent accident occurred despite the state bearing infinite responsibility for the people's safety," Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min said at a parliamentary session, Yonhap news agency reported.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon also apologized, saying that "as the mayor of Seoul who is responsible for the lives and safety of citizens" he felt "infinite responsibility for the accident," according to the report. He added that the city government would put all available administrative resources "all funeral procedures are completed and the bereaved families, the injured and all citizens who feel sorrow from this accident can return to their daily lives," Yonhap said.
Yoon Hee-keun, head of the National Police Agency, admitted that his agency failed to adequately react to incoming urgent reports of possible crowd crush prior to the emergency, adding that he felt "heavy responsibility" for what happened, Yonhap said. He also apologized and expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims.
The police said they failed to prevent the dangerous situation due to the lack of instructions that would allow them to take urgent measures without there being a specific event and without information about its organizers.
An investigative team of 475 interviewed 44 eyewitnesses and obtained 54 CCTV videos from the scene. There have been no reports yet about specific causes that led to the crowd crush.
A special unit of the National Police Agency will be set up to "clearly uncover truth and determine responsibility," Yoon said, as quoted by Yonhap.
The apologies came amid mounting criticism over the authorities' failure to take adequate steps to prevent the tragedy.
