The Government will cover the cost of the funerals of the victims
Oct. 31 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The South Korean Police has admitted this Monday that there were “errors” when taking measures that could further prevent the Halloween tragedy in Itaewon, a neighborhood in Seoul in which more than 150 people died when a stampede was registered due to the great agglomeration recorded in one of the alleys in the area.
Hong Ki Hyun, head of the Public Order Management Office of the National Police, has lamented that they could not “anticipate the tragedy” in the face of growing criticism for the actions of the security forces.
“It was expected that a large number of people would gather there, but we did not think there would be victims due to the crowds,” he asserted before indicating that “a similar number of people gather every year.” “The police who were in the area did not detect a sudden increase in the number of people in the area,” she said, according to information from the Yonhap news agency.
Hong has indicated that 137 security force personnel were deployed to the area on Sunday, compared with the number in years before the coronavirus pandemic. However, the agents planned to deal with traffic and minor crimes.
In this sense, he has asserted that “there is no manual” to deal with situations with large crowds such as those of the Halloween festival in Itaewon, although he has guaranteed that from now on measures will be taken in this regard to intervene in the event that produce these situations without a clear organization.
The funerals of the 154 victims have already begun in South Korea as the government announces aid of 15 million won (about 9,100 euros) for the relatives of the deceased, who will thus be able to pay for religious services.
Likewise, the authorities will cover the medical expenses of all those who have been injured during the stampede.
