Per editor: Gao Han
According to Yonhap News Agency, as of 5 p.m. local time on October 30, a large-scale stampede in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea, has killed 153 people, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government has also received more than 4,000 related disappearance reports. What happened in Itaewon that night? Why did such a large-scale stampede happen?
The first "Halloween event without masks" in three years, influxed more than 100,000 people in one night
According to South Korea's Gyeonggo News reported on October 30, the passenger flow of Itaewon Station on Seoul Subway Line 6 reached 130,000 on the 29th, and this value was nearly three times that of last Saturday, and exceeded the passenger flow of nearly 30% in the same period before the epidemic.
According to the relevant analysis of Jingxiang News, on September 26, the South Korean government downgraded the order on wearing masks outdoors from "national obligation" to "recommended wearing", this Halloween is the first "Halloween without masks" in three years, and many young Koreans have high enthusiasm and expectations for this event. And the excessive influx of people has laid the root cause of this incident.
In the early morning of October 30, ambulance personnel worked at the scene in the Itaewon-dong area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea.
Image source: Xinhua/Newsys News Agency
Korean media: There is no traffic control at the scene of the incident, and the police force at the scene is insufficient
According to a report by Han Minh News on October 30, the event did not carry out one-way pedestrian management of the "World Food Street" where the incident occurred, so there were a large number of pedestrians passing on both sides of the street at the time of the incident, which caused a stampede; In addition, on the day of the incident, there was no traffic restriction on the Itaewon area that prohibits vehicle traffic.
It is worth noting that the "Global Village Celebration" was held in Itaewon 2 weeks ago, but at that time the Yongsan-gu Government imposed traffic control on the Itaewon area. According to a report by the Korean National News on the 30th, the "Global Village Celebration" two weeks ago was sponsored by the "Itaewon Tourism Special Zone Federation" and sponsored by the Seoul City Office and Yongsangu City Office, and belonged to a large-scale event held by the "local self-governing organization", so the government imposed traffic control on the event.
According to the Korean National News, the Itaewon Halloween event is a spontaneous event held by the people, so the government has not carried out due traffic control in the Itaewon area, and the police force to maintain order at the scene is also very insufficient.
Police work at the scene of a stampede in the Itaewon-dong area of Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea, on October 30.
Image source: Xinhua/Newsys News Agency
South Korean authorities: The specific cause of the accident is still being investigated
According to South Korea's East Asia Daily reported on the 30th, witnesses of the accident said in an interview that there were rumors in the crowded crowd that "well-known Internet celebrities visited here" that caused riots in the crowd, which caused order to get out of control; There are also witnesses who say that above the slope "there is a sudden force to push down", and the person who is descending the slope is tripped like dominoes.
The East Asia Daily also reported on the 30th that someone on South Korean social media claimed that they heard "push forward!" After the sound, the crowd began to trip en masse. However, such claims have not been confirmed, and the truth of the incident needs to be carefully investigated afterwards.
South Korean authorities said they were still investigating the specific cause of the stampede.
On October 30, in Seoul, South Korea, a man came to the site of a stampede with flowers. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Yiliang
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