SEOUL-South Koreans gathered Monday at memorials honouring the 154 people killed in a crush at Halloween celebrations, as authorities faced accusations that lax crowd control had caused the disaster.
Police said Monday they had set up a task force to investigate the exact cause of the fatal crush, seizing CCTV from businesses close to the scene in Seoul’s popular Itaewon district, deploying forensic officers, and interviewing dozens of witnesses.
But at an official altar set up in central Seoul to mourn the young victims, South Koreans wept, prayed, and railed against authorities’ failures to prevent the catastrophic loss of young life.
“I am devastated by what happened, they were just trying to have a good time,” 19-year-old student Hwang Gyu-hyeon told AFP, weeping and struggling to speak clearly, as she explained how the deaths of so many people her own age had affected her. “I pray for the victims. I can’t believe this accident happened despite the signs that were clear beforehand. Nothing was done to prepare for this crowd,” she said.
Song Jung-hee, 69, said she kept thinking about how “excited and spirited” the young victims must have been, eager to enjoy a night out without Covid restrictions for the first time in three years.
“If only there had been more police officers to keep order, this would not have happened,” she told AFP.
On Monday, families of the victims began holding funerals at hospitals across the capital. South Korean hospitals typically have facilities on-site for last rites to be performed.