Published: Less than 50 min ago
Mourning South Koreans are honoring the victims of this weekend’s tragedy when 154 people, most of them young women, died in a stampede in Seoul’s entertainment district.
People cry, pray and leave flowers at a huge altar erected in central Seoul.
– I am devastated by what happened. They were just trying to have fun, says 19-year-old student Hwang Gyu-Hyeon.
At the same time, criticism is growing against the authorities, who are accused of failing in terms of security. Upwards of 100,000 people had gathered in the Itaewon district to celebrate Halloween for the first time since before the pandemic.
– If there were only more police officers on site to maintain order, this would not have happened, says 69-year-old Song Jung-Hee.
According to the police, there were 137 police officers on site, which is more than usual. But according to local reports, the officers focused on searching for narcotics instead of controlling the crowd.