Korea fall accident killed 154 people including 2 Japanese, pointing out insufficient safety measures

On the 29th, in Itaewon, a downtown area in Seoul, South Korea, 154 people, including two Japanese women, died in an accident in which a large number of young people collapsed before Halloween.

Some Korean media have pointed out that the government's advance safety measures may have been inadequate.

[Click here for details] Fall accident in Itaewon, Seoul

Falling accident in Korea One person who died was a woman in her 20s from Hokkaido while studying abroad

Police have confirmed that 154 people have died so far in an accident in which a large number of people collapsed in Itaewon, downtown Seoul, on the night of the 29th.

According to the Japanese government, this includes two Japanese women in their teens and 20s.

In addition, more than 130 people were injured.

At the scene of the accident, young people dressed in costumes for Halloween were crowded together in a narrow alley, and many people are believed to have collapsed one after another from the top of the hill. .

Regarding this, among the Korean media, it has been pointed out that the government's advance safety measures may have been insufficient, as it is said that about 100,000 people visited Itaewon.

Yongsan District, which has jurisdiction over this district, held a Halloween countermeasures meeting in advance, but it was not confirmed that safety management measures were discussed assuming an accident.

In addition, although the ward dispatched staff to the site, the number was insufficient and it was not possible to respond adequately.

The police will investigate the circumstances and causes of the accident, and will also investigate whether the government has taken measures to prevent the accident in advance.

A man at the scene said, "I thought I might die if I fell."

When I watched a video of a Japanese man in his 50s living in Seoul who was streaming a YouTube video near the scene, he saw people coming and going in the alleyway at the scene about two hours before the accident, although it was crowded. You can

However, a video of another alley about 20 meters away from the scene about an hour before the accident shows that it is so crowded that you can't move.

Regarding the situation at that time, the man said, ``In addition to the woman screaming, the foreign man started shouting in English, ``Get back,'' and the people around him seemed to feel danger. I was sandwiched between people who were trying to move forward without knowing what was happening, and the pressure on my ribs and internal organs hurt so much that I thought I might die if I fell." rice field.

In the delivered video, the man was talking about the situation at the scene, saying, "There is a risk of shogi overthrow."

Regarding the accident, the man said, ``Young people in their teens and twenties were looking forward to this year's Halloween, and when I pointed the camera at them, some people smiled and danced. Thinking that I might have been involved in an accident, I feel helpless without words," he said, "There was almost no traffic control or security in the area around the site."

A woman who was at the scene "I felt that it was dangerous if it remained as it was"

A woman in her 20s from Fukuoka, who visited South Korea for sightseeing and was near the entrance to the alley where the accident occurred, said of the situation at the time, "There were too many people and I couldn't move, and people were pushing me from all sides. I was sweating and dehydrated.I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible, but I didn't know what to do, so I thought I was going to die.I was checking with my friends, 'Are you okay? Are you alive?' I looked back on those days.

At that time, there were no security guards to guide pedestrians to the scene, so ``The Korean words ``Don't push, help, die'' were flying around. They were all messed up,” he said.

Regarding the moment when the accident happened, he said, "I was right in front of me, but there were too many people and I couldn't see anything. However, I was moving forward little by little until the accident happened, but suddenly I couldn't move at all. I heard a loud voice from the front," he recalled.

Fearing for their safety, the woman and her friend were able to escape by going in the opposite direction of the alleyway, but they suffered bruises on their legs as they crumpled.

The woman said, ``If I relaxed even a little, I would be swallowed by the waves of people, so I walked along the wall. I proceeded while checking the state of the waves."

The woman returned to Japan on the night of the 30th, and she said, "I was a little closer to the alley where the accident happened and I thought that I had failed to escape, and I was full of fear, and I am very sad that many people were involved. rice field.

UN Secretary-General 'Condolences'

UN Secretary-General Guterres issued a statement through his spokesman on the 30th, saying, "I am deeply saddened by the tragic accident. I would like to express my condolences to the bereaved families, the government and people of South Korea, and one of the injured people. I wish you a speedy recovery," he said.