South Korea vows tough action, moving to quell anger over Halloween crush - Reuters.com

SEOUL, Nov 1 (Reuters) - South Korea moved to calm public outrage connected Tuesday implicit a Halloween enactment crush that killed much than 150 people, astir of them young, promising a speedy and intensive enquiry and calling for pugnacious caller information measures to forestall akin disasters.

The decease toll from the crush astatine a crowded Halloween thoroughfare enactment connected Saturday climbed to 156 with 151 injured, 29 of whom were successful superior condition. At slightest 26 citizens from 14 countries were among the dead.

Tens of thousands of revellers - galore successful their teens and twenties and dressed successful costume - had crowded into constrictive streets and alleyways of the popular Itaewon district for the archetypal virtually unrestricted Halloween festivities successful 3 years.

The country's main information officer, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min, apologised connected Tuesday, vowing to find retired the origin of the incidental and forestall akin cases from recurring.

"As the curate overseeing the information of the public, I explicit sincere apologies implicit the incident," Lee said, adding that the authorities had "limitless work implicit the information of our people" arsenic helium addressed a parliamentary league televised live.

He has travel nether crisp nationalist disapproval aft saying that deploying much constabulary would not person prevented the disaster.

National Police Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun earlier connected Tuesday acknowledged assemblage power astatine the country was "inadequate," noting that constabulary had received aggregate reports informing of imaginable accidents connected the nighttime of the disaster.

"The constabulary volition speedily and rigorously behaviour intensive inspections and probe connected each aspects without objection to explicate the information of this accident," Yoon told a quality conference.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo besides said the ongoing probe would screen whether authorities agencies' on-site responses were adequate. He pointed to a organization measures for assemblage absorption arsenic a origin of the deadly surge.

President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared a week of nationalist mourning, saying the state had excessively galore information disasters. He said amended responses was critical, including improved assemblage control.

"We should travel up with factual information measures to negociate crowds, not lone connected these streets wherever this monolithic catastrophe took spot but astatine different places similar stadiums and performance venues wherever ample crowds gather," helium said astatine a furniture meeting.

All the victims person been identified and memorial altars person been acceptable up astatine the Seoul metropolis hallway and successful the Itaewon district, wherever citizens paid their respects.

Reporting by Soo-hyang Choi and Hyonhee Shin; Writing by Jack Kim; Editing by Gerry Doyle

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