SEOUL, Nov. 1 (UPI) — South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo admitted Tuesday that crowd control measures were insufficient to prevent the Halloween crushing incident that left at least 156 dead, and vowed that the government will take measures to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
Han said that the accident Saturday “should not have happened” and declared that a government investigation would reveal what went wrong in the response and hold those at fault accountable.
“At every step along the way we will have to look at what happened, ” Han told international media during a press briefing in downtown Seoul. “We’re not trying to justify what happened and not trying to avoid responsibility.”
“The government is responsible for the lives and safety of the people, and it is our absolute duty,” he said.
As grief and mourning continue for the victims, questions are growing louder about how a disaster like this could have happened. Witnesses and social media accounts have reported that the police presence was minimal for such a massive crowd and many are asking why there wasn’t a more active response as the situation became increasingly dangerous.
Han said that difficulties stemmed from the fact that Saturday’s Halloween festivities, which drew an estimated 100,000 partygoers, were not an organized event such as a festival or a protest.
“In the case of a voluntary event without an organizer, such as this accident, it is not easy to preemptively manage safety, ” he said.
Han vowed that regulations would be changed to allow police and local authorities to respond with greater autonomy.
“In all steps we are looking into what problems arose at which stage,” he said. “In terms of crowd management we will have to improve into the future.”
Earlier in the day, national police chief Yoon Hee-keun acknowledged his agency’s shortcomings over the incident and said during a press briefing that he feels a “heavy responsibility” for the tragedy.
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who had been traveling in Europe when the accident occurred, expressed his “deepest apologies.”
“The Seoul city government will do its best to mobilize all its administrative power until all funeral procedures are completed and the bereaved families, the injured and all citizens who feel sorrow from this accident can return to their daily lives,” he said Tuesday during a press conference.
Near Seoul’s city hall, a large mourning altar was set up and visitors came through to leave white chrysanthemums and sign condolence books, with many still expressing sorrow and disbelief at what happened.
Christophe Hanotin, in Seoul on vacation from Marseilles, said he and his family were near the site of the Halloween tragedy but managed to leave just ahead of the fatal crush.
“I never saw so many people in my life, anywhere in the world,” he said. “We were pressed together, and then the crowd started moving in a wave.”
Hanotin grew teary-eyed as he recounted finally escaping with his family into a subway station.
“People were being good, they weren’t trying to push,” he said. “They were only trying to have fun. I came [to the memorial] to remember them. We are still shocked.”
