BEIJING, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) According to Korea International Broadcasting Station (KBS), the Itaewon Accident Special Investigation Headquarters of the Korean National Police Agency concluded its investigation 74 days after its establishment and released the final findings.
According to the report, the Special Investigation Headquarters held its last press conference on the morning of the 13th, announcing the two core contents of the investigation, namely the investigation results of "the incident" and "punishment of the person responsible".
On October 31, 2022 local time, at Exit 1 of Itaewon Station, Yongsan District, Seoul, South Korea, downstairs of the Hamilton Hotel, people sent flowers and offerings to mourn the victims.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liu Xu
——The incident happened
The Special Investigation Headquarters attributed the cause of the accident to the severe crowding caused by the crowds, resulting in many casualties.
The Investigation Headquarters stated that on the day of the incident (October 29, 2022), a large number of people gathered around the World Food Street through Itaewon Station, etc. The number of people increased sharply at 5:00 p.m. move.
At about 10:15 that night, the crowd was pushed into the alley where the accident occurred. Many people fell down almost simultaneously in front of a bar, and the falling crowd caused the people behind to be pushed down continuously.
In the end, a total of 158 people were killed due to suffocation due to severe crushing, and many others were injured.
Regarding the number of victims, in early January 2023, Yonhap News Agency quoted the South Korean Ministry of Administration and Security as saying that the South Korean government decided to list a victim who committed suicide in the Itaewon stampede accident as a victim, and the number of victims rose to 159.
The victim survived the accident, but was psychologically traumatized by the tragic death of two friends, and then received psychological treatment, but failed to heal, and finally chose to commit suicide.
In addition, the special investigation headquarters will also include on-site surveillance footage of the incident, edit it into a video of about 5 minutes and make it public.
On November 1, 2022 local time, in Itaewon District, Seoul, the items retrieved by the police from the scene of the Halloween Itaewon stampede accident were waiting for the families of the victims in the gymnasium to collect them.
- Punishment of the person responsible
In terms of the punishment of those responsible for the accident, a total of 28 people were put on file, 23 of whom have been handed over to the prosecution, and 6 of them were arrested.
The Special Investigation Headquarters stated that more than 20 people belonging to the police, district offices, firefighting agencies, and Seoul Transportation Corporation were charged with causing death or injury due to business negligence. was arrested, and 17 people, including Seoul Police Chief Kim Kwang-ho, were handed over to the prosecution without detention.
【Itaewon Stampede Tragedy】
On the evening of October 29, 2022, a large number of people attended a festival party in Itaewon-dong, Yongsan-gu, Seoul.
In a narrow descending alley, after someone fell in front, the flow of people behind followed, and finally a serious stampede occurred.
After the accident, the South Korean government announced a "national mourning period" from October 30, 2022 to 24:00 on November 5, 2022.
South Korean President Yin Xiyue also expressed his deep apology for the survivors of the tragedy and the people who share the grief and pain.
South Korean Prime Minister Han Deok-soo also publicly apologized to the citizens and foreign victims of the stampede, and promised to improve relevant systems to prevent similar accidents from happening again.