The South Korean Police on Friday (January 13) blamed negligence and planning failures for the Halloween stampede in the Itaewon neighbourhood of Seoul on October 29 last year that killed 159 people.

The South Korean Police on Friday (January 13) blamed negligence and planning failures for the Halloween stampede in the Itaewon neighbourhood of Seoul on October 29 last year that killed 159 people. A special investigation team, which spent months combing through evidence and interviewing officials, said there were massive planning and response failures, a report by the news agency AFP said. Speaking to reporters on Friday, Sohn Je-hanm who led the investigation, said, "Organisations that are legally obligated to prevent and respond to disasters -- police, district offices and Seoul Metro -- did not establish safety measures in advance or came up with poor plans." Je-hanm said that on the day of the disaster, appropriate measures were not taken even after receiving rescue requests. ALSO READ | Police officer facing investigation for Itaewon Halloween crush in South Korea found dead The poor cooperation between agencies and delay in communications and relief efforts contributed to a higher number of deaths in the stampede, according to the report. The investigation team named 23 people, including the head of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, to prosecutors. On the other hand, six people have been arrested including Lee Im-jae, the former head of the Yongsan Police Station, which oversees Itaewon, and Park Hee-young, the head of the Yongsan district office. No top government officials blamed by special team, bereaved families criticise probe In its probe, the special investigation team of the South Korean Police did not blame officials from the Seoul city government, the interior ministry, or the national policy agency. Sohn Je-hanm said on Friday the reason for this was that it was "difficult to conclude that there was a concrete violation of duty", the AFP report said. Opposition lawmakers and bereaved families have criticised the police investigation for failing to hold top officials accountable for the tragedy. "We have so many questions unanswered," Lee Jong-chul, head of a group representing the bereaved families, told reporters as he arrived at a prosecutors' office in Seoul, a report by news agency Reuters on Friday said. Jong-chu said he came to the office to give a victim's statement, expecting a better and expanded probe. Following the October 29 tragedy, South Korea's Minister of Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min has faced calls to step down. Lee Sang-min has been widely criticised for claiming that having more personnel from the police and the fire department would not have prevented the stampede. The minister issued repeated apologies including in person to the victim's families last week, the AFP report said. However, he has not offered to step down from the top post. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

South Korea Halloween crowd crush: Cops blame negligence for fatal incident

The year 2022 saw many big challenges such as a surge in Covid cases, and the demise of famous personalities like Queen Elizabeth II, Cyrus Mistry, and more. One such incident was Stampede.

The year 2022 saw many big challenges such as a surge in Covid cases, and the demise of famous personalities like Queen Elizabeth II, Cyrus Mistry, and more. One such incident was Stampede. There are incidents when overcrowding can lead to the demise of people. Sometimes due to suffocation or sometimes due to panicking. But can that overcrowding turn into a horrific incident? Yes, it can. Here are the top stampedes which shocked people and governments of not only one but three countries: Indonesia stampede People visit football stadiums to enjoy the match but can that ground become the worst moment of their lives, who knew? In the early days of October 2022, a stampede incident was reported from Indonesia. More than 120 people were dead when supporters from the losing team invaded the pitch and in an order to disperse the crowd, authorities fired tear gas, leading to a crowd stampede and cases of suffocation. The incident occurred at the Kanjuruhan stadium in Malang, East Java on a Saturday evening. This was the one such incident which rocked the Indonesian government and police officials. #Update: Just in - Other video footage of when a clash broke out after a football match between Arema and Persebaya in #Indonesia, after they were cornered by riot police, and got tear gassed to death, resulting in 127 people dead and 180 people injured of oxygen shortages. pic.twitter.com/ZZdr7RbgnM — Sotiri Dimpinoudis (@sotiridi) October 1, 2022 × The Indonesian government also expressed regret for the disaster. Earlier there were reports, that around 175 people have died in the stampede. But once the official figures were out, only 125 people were reported dead in the incident that occurred at Kanjuruhan Stadium in Indonesia's Malang. Apart from more than a hundred people being killed, hundreds of fans also sustained injuries. Supporters of Arema invaded the pitch following the team's 3-2 defeat against bitter rivals Persebaya Surabaya, who clashed with police officials prompting them to use tear gas shots to control the crowd inside the stadium. The use of tear gas lead fans to panic and got suffocated trying to flee through the narrow exit gates. A series of photos and videos from the stampede was shared on social media platforms creating a big buzz. Indonesian authorities and the PSSI have also faced mounting questions and criticism over the incident. South Korea Halloween stampede Halloween is a festival which is celebrated across the globe. People dress up in costumes and party the whole night long. But can an evening of celebration be turned into a disaster, no one knew. On October 30, more than 150 people died in a deadly Halloween stampede reported in South Korea’s capital Seoul. Family members were asked to collect the bodies of their loved ones on the same night the incident happened. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol had declared Seoul's Itaewon district a disaster zone. The stampede mainly killed teenagers and young adults in their 20s. South Korean actor and singer Lee Ji Han was also killed in the horrific Halloween crowd surge in the nation’s capital Seoul. The actor was just 24 years old when he died. “Citizens from at least two dozen countries were among the dead,'' as per Reuters. People from across the country paid tribute to those who were killed in the horrific incident. A national mourning period was also announced by President Yoon. "A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night,” said South Korean President. Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, told a briefing that amongst the read, 22 were foreigners. India stampedes 1. Morbi bridge collapse In India, overcrowding of a newly renovated cable bridge in the Morbi district of western Gujarat state led to its collapse, leading to at least 133 deaths. The collapse happened when a huge crowd gathered on the bridge. Most of the victims drowned when the bridge fell into the Machchhu river, which is around 300 km from the state capital Ahmedabad, on October 30, 2022. Officials managed to rescue 177 people, averting a far bigger tragedy. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel expressed condolences and announced a cash help of $4900 (400,000 rupees) for the families of the deceased and $600 (49,000 rupees) for the injured. The incident occurred at a time when people across the country were celebrating ‘Chhath Puja’. After six months of renovation and spending an estimated cost of $243,000, the 15-year-old bridge was only opened on October 26 for Gujarati new year just four days before the incident happened. 2. Stampedes in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan If you are an Indian, you must have visited or added ‘Banke Bihari temple’ located in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh to your bucket list. Temples are a place where everyone gets peace of mind and soul but what if that peace is turned into death? With proper security installed at the temple, a shocking incident came to light when 2 people were reported dead in a stampede at a temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Vrindavan during Janmashtami celebrations. Janmashtami is a festival in India, which is celebrated for the birth of ‘Lord Krishna’ across the county. Devotees from across the country visited the temple just to take a glimpse of Lord Krishna (Banke Bihari). It is being reported that the cause of death was suffocation due to the heavy rush present inside the temple. Along with people across the country, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also expressed grief and he directed the officials to take necessary measures for the treatment of the injured. According to reports, the police officials were present at the temple premises when the incident happened. Uttar Pradesh government had constituted a committee to probe the incident of deaths at the Banke Bihari temple. Not only this, another temple of Lord Krishna in Rajasthan’s Sikar district, ‘Khatu Shyam temple’ had also reported the same incident. Amongst the 3 dead, a 63-year-old woman with a history of heart ailment collapsed as soon as the gates of the temple were opened. As the year 2022 comes to an end, people are still mourning the death of their loved ones that happened during these incidents.

2022: Year that stampedes shocked the world

From next year, the Koreans would have to include their birth date to calculate their age, which will make them at least one or two years younger. The international method of calculating age will be implemented from June 2023.

South Koreans will become younger by the summer of 2023