Halloween celebrations in South Korea’s capital city, Seoul, resulted in a man-made disaster killing 156 people on Saturday, October 30. IMAGO impressions from the Picture Desk.
Seoul mourns over Halloween disaster
With funerals and memorial services underway, flowers and candles are flooding the streets of Seoul while Halloween decorations are being taken down after street celebrations turned into what is considered a deadly crowd-crush.
Police Chief Yoon Hee-keun said in a statement today that the incident could have been avoided and apologized for the “inadequate” response. The 137 officers present were equipped to handle traffic and crime, and were therefore unable to control and defuse the madness which sparked in the estimated 100,00-people crowd celebrating Halloween in the nightlife district of Itaewon. The lack of emergency response has brought criticism suggesting that preventative measures were neglected, which would have saved lives.
Seoul and the rest of the country is mourning – South Korea’s prime minister Han Duck-soo has stated that psychological support will be provided for those affected by the traumatic events. IMAGO’s Picture Desk is covering the events that have followed, along with impressions from the streets of Seoul in the aftermath and on the night of the incident.
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