Nov. 6 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The first police officers who arrived at the scene of the human avalanche in which more than 150 people died during a Halloween party in Itaewon, Seoul, did so 85 minutes after the start of the incident, according to police data that has emerged this Sunday.
Five patrol cars from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency were dispatched to the scene, according to the record sent to opposition MP Lee Tae Won and quoted by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency.
The first patrol to arrive was Number 11, which arrived at the scene at 11:40 p.m. on October 29 by order of Lee Im Jae, despite the fact that the first emergency call to 112 was received at 10:15 p.m. Another four patrols arrived between 11:50 p.m. and 1:40 a.m. the following day.
Lee, currently suspended, arrived at his post at 11:05 p.m., about 50 minutes after the tragedy began. He apparently insisted on traveling in his car from the restaurant where he was having dinner with fellow Police officers to the police station despite the immense traffic congestion in the area. The police station is just a 10-minute walk from the restaurant.
Eight replacement police units also arrived, whose function is to support professional police officers. They arrived between 0.50 and 1.12 hours.
The report also mentions how an internal report of the Police intelligence services that warned of possible incidents related to the Halloween parties was allegedly erased after the incident. The report was never delivered to police officials and the fact that it has been deleted suggests that the agents intended to cover up their inaction.
On the other hand, the opposition deputy Cheon Jun Ho has published that the Firefighters received an emergency call to number 119 at 10:12 p.m. in which the affected party claimed to have trouble breathing and hung up shortly after in murmurs.
The first rescue team was sent to the area at 10:17 p.m. and the collaboration of the Police was requested a minute later. The emergency center of the Seoul City Hall was notified at 10:28 p.m. and the Ministry of the Interior at 10:48 p.m. The Presidency was informed at 22:53.
Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in Seoul to remember the victims of the human avalanche that cost the lives of at least 156 people on October 29 at a Halloween party and to protest against the authorities, whom they hold responsible for the tragedy.
The authorities have announced an investigation into what happened and municipal offices, police stations and fire stations have been registered. The National Police and President Yoon Suk Yeol have apologized for what happened and have promised to improve security measures for future occasions. However, this response has not been enough for a population outraged by what happened.
