Seoul Halloween Crash South Korean Authorities Say They Had No Guidelines For Halloween Crowds

  South Korean authorities said on Monday they had no guidelines for handling the huge crowds that gathered for Halloween celebrations in Seoul, as families in the country and around the world mourned the 155 victims of Saturday night’s crowd crush. .   

  The crash took place in the narrow alleyways of the popular Itaewon nightspot, where witnesses described being unable to move or breathe as thousands of revelers stood shoulder to shoulder on a street no more than 4 meters (13 feet) wide.  .   

  Frantic families spent much of Sunday gathering at information centers where authorities gathered information about the dead and injured, and contacted morgues and hospitals in a desperate bid to track down missing relatives.   

  With all the victims now identified, panic has turned into national grief as the country grapples with one of its worst disasters – while parents abroad make arrangements for their dead children in a foreign country.   

  Official memorial altars were set up in central Seoul on Monday, with pictures showing crowds visiting to pay their respects.  Many were in tears and holding white flowers.  others knelt and worshiped deeply at the altar.   

  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, his wife, Kim Keon-hee, and top officials, including Seoul’s prime minister and mayor, joined the mourners.   

  Many shops and businesses were closed to observe a week of national mourning.  Parts of central Seoul were almost deserted – a highly unusual sight in the normally bustling capital that is home to around 10 million people.   

  People also paid their respects at a makeshift memorial in Itaewon, outside a subway station near the alley where the crash happened.  The station’s entrance is decorated with rows of flowers and offerings such as handwritten notes, bottles of Korean soju and paper cups filled with drinks.   

  Among the mourners was a civilian group of bereaved families from the Sewol Ferry disaster, which killed 304 people – mostly teenagers on a school trip – when the ferry sank in 2014.   

  “As someone who had suffered the same pain, my heart is broken and I am speechless,” one of the team members told reporters at the memorial, saying the families were saddened to see “a great disaster like this repeated.” .   

  Just below the road, the entrance to the alley was blocked off, with security personnel standing guard as forensic teams dressed in white hazmat suits searched the area, still littered with rubbish and debris.   

  Amidst the grief, questions have been raised about the government’s handling of the incident and the apparent lack of crowd control before the tragedy.   

  One survivor, 22-year-old French exchange student Anne-Louis Chevalier, told CNN that she passed out in the crowd after being “beaten up” by her colleagues.  “At one point I had no air and we were so crushed with other people that I couldn’t breathe at all.  So I just passed out,” Chevalier said.   

  Several eyewitnesses and survivors said they saw little or no police in the area before the situation escalated.   

  Earlier on Sunday, the Home and Security Minister said only a “normal” level of security personnel had been deployed in Itaewon because the crowd there did not appear unusually large – while a “significant number” of police had been sent to another department.  of Seoul in response to the expected protests.   

  But – facing a backlash from Korean politicians and on social media – authorities appeared to reverse course on Monday, saying they had deployed about 137 people to Itaewon that night, compared with about 30 to 70 personnel in previous years before pandemic.   

  “For the Halloween festival this time, because it was expected that many people would gather in Itaewon, I understand that it was prepared by deploying more police force than other years,” said Oh Seung-jin, director of the violent crime investigation division at the National Police Service.   

  However, he admitted, “at present there is no separate preparation manual for such a situation where there is no organizer and a crowd is expected to gather.”  Furthermore, the police had not been deployed for crowd control – but for crime prevention and to prevent “various illegal activities”.   

  Kim Seong-ho, director of the disaster management and security division at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Security, echoed those comments, saying they had no “guidelines or manual” for such an “unprecedented situation.”   

  The victims were mostly young people who had gone to Itaewon on Saturday night, eager for South Korea’s first Halloween celebrations in years without Covid restrictions.   

  Of the 155 dead, 12 were teenagers and 103 were in their 20s, the Ministry of Interior and Security said in a situation report on Monday, with 55 men and 99 women killed.   

  Among their number were 26 foreign nationals from countries such as the United States, China, Iran, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan, Australia, Norway, France, Russia, Austria, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.   

  Another 149 people were injured, 33 seriously, including 15 foreign nationals.   

  Six students attending schools in Seoul – one middle school student and five high school students – were among the dead, as well as three teachers, Korea’s education ministry said.   

  Three South Korean soldiers were among the dead, a South Korean defense ministry official said.   

  Two American students were identified – Steven Blessy of Georgia and Ann Giske of Kentucky – both in their junior year.   

  Blessy’s father, Steve Blessy, said his son “has always been an adventurer.”  He was an Eagle Scout, liked basketball and wanted to learn several languages, he said.   

  “Maybe half an hour before this tragic incident happened, I sent him a message on WhatsApp… “I know you are out.  Stay safe.  I love you.’  And I never got an answer,” Steve said.  “He had an incredibly bright future that is now gone.”   

  Dan Gieske, Anne’s father, said in a statement Sunday night that the family was “completely devastated and devastated,” calling Anne “a shining light loved by all.”   

  Anne was a nursing student studying abroad in Seoul this semester, the University of Kentucky president said.   

  The father of Mei Tomikawa, a 26-year-old Japanese exchange student who was killed in the crash, told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that he was “prepared for the worst” when he could not reach her.   

  He studied Korean before starting school in Seoul, he said, speaking before traveling from Japan to South Korea on Monday.   

  “I tried to call her to warn her to be careful, but she never answered her phone,” he said, according to NHK.  “She was a wonderful daughter… I want to see my daughter as soon as possible.”   

  The family of an Australian victim, Grace Rached, also released a statement on Monday describing her as “a talented film producer who had a passion to make a difference”.   

  “We miss our wonderful angel Grace who lit up a room with her infectious smile.  Grace always made others feel important and her kindness left an impression on everyone she ever met.  Grace always cared about others and was loved by all,” the family wrote.   

  Authorities are now working with foreign embassies and families abroad, offering support with funeral arrangements.  As the week progresses, more names and faces of those who died are likely to emerge as the nation searches for answers about how such a disaster – in an area known to be crowded on Halloween, with weeks of festivities in the planning – will could have unfolded.   

title: “Seoul Halloween Crash South Korean Authorities Say They Had No Guidelines For Halloween Crowds " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-21” author: “Francis Anderson”

  South Korean authorities said on Monday they had no guidelines for handling the huge crowds that gathered for Halloween celebrations in Seoul, as families in the country and around the world mourned the 155 victims of Saturday night’s crowd crush. .   

  The crash took place in the narrow alleyways of the popular Itaewon nightspot, where witnesses described being unable to move or breathe as thousands of revelers stood shoulder to shoulder on a street no more than 4 meters (13 feet) wide.  .   

  Frantic families spent much of Sunday gathering at information centers where authorities gathered information about the dead and injured, and contacted morgues and hospitals in a desperate bid to track down missing relatives.   

  With all the victims now identified, panic has turned into national grief as the country grapples with one of its worst disasters – while parents abroad make arrangements for their dead children in a foreign country.   

  Official memorial altars were set up in central Seoul on Monday, with pictures showing crowds visiting to pay their respects.  Many were in tears and holding white flowers.  others knelt and worshiped deeply at the altar.   

  South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, his wife, Kim Keon-hee, and top officials, including Seoul’s prime minister and mayor, joined the mourners.   

  Many shops and businesses were closed to observe a week of national mourning.  Parts of central Seoul were almost deserted – a highly unusual sight in the normally bustling capital that is home to around 10 million people.   

  People also paid their respects at a makeshift memorial in Itaewon, outside a subway station near the alley where the crash happened.  The station’s entrance is decorated with rows of flowers and offerings such as handwritten notes, bottles of Korean soju and paper cups filled with drinks.   

  Among the mourners was a civilian group of bereaved families from the Sewol Ferry disaster, which killed 304 people – mostly teenagers on a school trip – when the ferry sank in 2014.   

  “As someone who had suffered the same pain, my heart is broken and I am speechless,” one of the team members told reporters at the memorial, saying the families were saddened to see “a great disaster like this repeated.” .   

  Just below the road, the entrance to the alley was blocked off, with security personnel standing guard as forensic teams dressed in white hazmat suits searched the area, still littered with rubbish and debris.   

  Amidst the grief, questions have been raised about the government’s handling of the incident and the apparent lack of crowd control before the tragedy.   

  One survivor, 22-year-old French exchange student Anne-Louis Chevalier, told CNN that she passed out in the crowd after being “beaten up” by her colleagues.  “At one point I had no air and we were so crushed with other people that I couldn’t breathe at all.  So I just passed out,” Chevalier said.   

  Several eyewitnesses and survivors said they saw little or no police in the area before the situation escalated.   

  Earlier on Sunday, the Home and Security Minister said only a “normal” level of security personnel had been deployed in Itaewon because the crowd there did not appear unusually large – while a “significant number” of police had been sent to another department.  of Seoul in response to the expected protests.   

  But – facing a backlash from Korean politicians and on social media – authorities appeared to reverse course on Monday, saying they had deployed about 137 people to Itaewon that night, compared with about 30 to 70 personnel in previous years before pandemic.   

  “For the Halloween festival this time, because it was expected that many people would gather in Itaewon, I understand that it was prepared by deploying more police force than other years,” said Oh Seung-jin, director of the violent crime investigation division at the National Police Service.   

  However, he admitted, “at present there is no separate preparation manual for such a situation where there is no organizer and a crowd is expected to gather.”  Furthermore, the police had not been deployed for crowd control – but for crime prevention and to prevent “various illegal activities”.   

  Kim Seong-ho, director of the disaster management and security division at the Ministry of Home Affairs and Security, echoed those comments, saying they had no “instructions or manual” for such an “unprecedented situation.”   

  The victims were mostly young people who had gone to Itaewon on Saturday night, eager for South Korea’s first Halloween celebrations in years without Covid restrictions.   

  Of the 155 dead, 12 were teenagers and 103 were in their 20s, the Ministry of Interior and Security said in a situation report on Monday, with 55 men and 99 women killed.   

  Among their number were 26 foreign nationals from countries such as the United States, China, Iran, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Japan, Australia, Norway, France, Russia, Austria, Vietnam, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.   

  Another 149 people were injured, 33 seriously, including 15 foreign nationals.   

  Six students attending schools in Seoul – one middle school student and five high school students – were among the dead, as well as three teachers, Korea’s education ministry said.   

  Three South Korean soldiers were among the dead, a South Korean defense ministry official said.   

  Two American students were identified – Steven Blessy of Georgia and Ann Giske of Kentucky – both in their junior year.   

  Blessy’s father, Steve Blessy, said his son “has always been an adventurer.”  He was an Eagle Scout, liked basketball and wanted to learn several languages, he said.   

  “Maybe half an hour before this tragic incident happened, I sent him a message on WhatsApp… “I know you are out.  Stay safe.  I love you.’  And I never got an answer,” Steve said.  “He had an incredibly bright future that is now gone.”   

  Dan Gieske, Anne’s father, said in a statement Sunday night that the family was “completely devastated and devastated,” calling Anne “a shining light loved by all.”   

  Anne was a nursing student studying abroad in Seoul this semester, the University of Kentucky president said.   

  The father of Mei Tomikawa, a 26-year-old Japanese exchange student who was killed in the crash, told Japanese public broadcaster NHK that he was “prepared for the worst” when he could not reach her.   

  He studied Korean before starting school in Seoul, he said, speaking before traveling from Japan to South Korea on Monday.   

  “I tried to call her to warn her to be careful, but she never answered her phone,” he said, according to NHK.  “She was a wonderful daughter… I want to see my daughter as soon as possible.”   

  The family of an Australian victim, Grace Rached, also released a statement on Monday describing her as “a talented film producer who had a passion to make a difference”.   

  “We miss our wonderful angel Grace who lit up a room with her infectious smile.  Grace always made others feel important and her kindness left an impression on everyone she ever met.  Grace always cared about others and was loved by all,” the family wrote.   

  Authorities are now working with foreign embassies and families abroad, offering support with funeral arrangements.  As the week progresses, more names and faces of those who died are likely to emerge as the nation searches for answers about how such a disaster – in an area known to be crowded on Halloween, with weeks of festivities in the planning – will could have unfolded.