Itaewon crowd crush: Senior officials spared blame in report - BBC

A long-awaited study into past October's deadly assemblage crush successful Seoul has mostly spared elder authorities officials from blame.

The study alternatively held section municipal and exigency work officials liable for anemic readying and a mediocre exigency response.

Bereaved begetter Lee Jung-min told the BBC the study was "cutting disconnected the lizard's process to spare the head".

The deadly crush killed 159 mostly young radical who were retired partying.

They had flocked to Seoul's Itaewon district, a fashionable nightlife territory with constrictive streets and alleys lined with bars and restaurants, to observe Halloween. Some accounts accidental much than 100,000 were successful the country that evening.

Six people, including the erstwhile constabulary main of the section Yongsan territory and the district's mayor, person been arrested connected negligence charges.

Investigating officers person besides recommended 17 others beryllium prosecuted, including Seoul's main of police.

Son Je-hwan, manager of a peculiar constabulary part formed to analyse the tragedy, said it was "difficult" to accidental that metropolis officials, the nationalist constabulary and the interior ministry, which oversees South Korea's police, had violated their duties.

Families of victims and the South Korean nationalist had wanted higher-level officials to beryllium held accountable. In December, South Korea's parliament passed a question calling for the dismissal of interior curate Lee Sang-min.

Mr Lee, whose 28-year-old girl Lee Joo-young died successful the crush, told the BBC helium wanted the "officials successful command" to instrumentality responsibility.

"This means the interior minister, the nationalist constabulary chief, adjacent the premier curate - they should each instrumentality responsibility," helium said.

His girl was successful Itaewon with her fiancé, who passed retired but survived, and the mates had been owed to wed this year.

"I americium determined to get an apology from those successful power, truthful my girl tin adjacent her eyes successful peace. I've told her, Dad volition bash his best," Mr Lee said.

But Mr Son said section government, police, occurrence section and metro officials were among those who had a "legal work to forestall and respond to disasters".

No preventive measures were taken successful advance, and due measures were not taken aft exigency calls for assistance were received, the inspector said.

Incorrect assessments of the concern led to a hold successful relaying accusation and deficiency of practice among organisations, helium added.

"These aggregate overlapping failures pb to immense fig of quality casualties," helium said.

The peculiar probe portion investigated 548 radical and analysed 180 videos from CCTV footage, societal media and property materials.

The archetypal telephone to the constabulary came astatine 18:34 section clip - hours earlier the deadly crush took spot - and determination were astatine slightest 10 much exigency calls from the country implicit the adjacent three-and-a-half hours.

Records amusement that the constabulary lone mobilised officers for 4 of of these 11 calls alerting them to unsafe levels of overcrowding.