South Korea vows probe into deadly Halloween crush - Reuters

SEOUL, Oct 31 (Reuters) - South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo connected Monday promised a thorough probe into the Halloween crush implicit the play that killed much than 150 radical successful the superior and plunged the state into a week of mourning.

Officials said the decease toll had risen overnight to 154 with 149 injured, 33 of them successful superior condition. Citizens from astatine slightest 2 twelve countries were among the dead.

Tens of thousands of party-goers had crowded into constrictive streets and alleyways of Seoul's popular Itaewon district connected Saturday for the archetypal virtually unrestricted Halloween festivities successful 3 years. Many of the revelers were successful their teens oregon twenties and dressed successful costume.

But chaos erupted erstwhile radical poured into 1 peculiarly constrictive and sloping alley, adjacent aft it was already packed, witnesses said.

On Monday morning, radical laid achromatic chrysanthemums, drinks and candles astatine a tiny makeshift altar disconnected an exit of the Itaewon subway station, a fewer steps distant from the tract of the crush.

"It doesn't substance however they died, oregon wherefore they died. Those mediocre people, each astatine akin ages to my grandchildren, they died anyway," said Jung Si-hoon, a retiree and a religion elder, who placed an aged woody transverse astatine the altar. "What much should we say? We should commune for them and privation they remainder successful peace."

Shops and cafes adjacent were closed and constabulary cordoned disconnected the tract of the incident, which was strewn with trash.

Schools, kindergartens and companies astir the state scrapped planned Halloween events. K-pop concerts and authorities briefings were besides cancelled.

"The authorities volition undertake a thorough probe into what caused this mishap and bash its champion to marque indispensable organization changes truthful that specified an mishap is not repeated," Han said arsenic authorities officials met to sermon the disaster.

"Identification has been completed for each of the 154 deceased but one, and I judge it is clip for follow-up measures specified arsenic ceremonial procedures to beryllium carried retired successful earnest," Han said. "We volition bash our champion to supply indispensable enactment by reflecting the opinions of the bereaved families arsenic overmuch arsenic possible."

Han said determination were incidents of radical propagating hatred code by blaming victims, arsenic good arsenic spreading mendacious accusation and posting disturbing scenes of the incidental online. A National Police Agency authoritative said they were investigating six related cases.

President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has declared a play of nationalist mourning and designated Itaewon a catastrophe zone, visited a memorial altar adjacent the Seoul metropolis hallway and paid his respects to victims connected Monday, his bureau said.

The crush came arsenic Itaewon, a awesome of freewheeling nightlife successful the South Korean superior for decades, was starting to thrive aft much than 2 years of COVID-19 restrictions, with trendy restaurants and shops replacing seedy establishments.

The catastrophe is the country's deadliest since a 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 people, chiefly precocious schoolhouse students.

The sinking of the Sewol, and disapproval of the authoritative response, sent shockwaves crossed South Korea, prompting wide soul-searching implicit information measures successful the state that are apt to beryllium renewed successful the aftermath of Saturday's crush.

Reporting by Choonsik Yoo, Ju-Min Park, Joyce Lee and Soo-hyang Choi; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Kim Coghill, Gerry Doyle and Edmund Klamann

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