A memorial altar is set up near Itaewon Subway Station in Seoul, Monday, to mourn the victims of a deadly crowd crush that occurred there two days earlier. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Experts point to absence of crowd management plans as major reason for deadly incident

By Lee Hyo-jin

While the nation is in grief over the deadliest crowd crush that occurred in Seoul's Itaewon entertainment district on Saturday night, it remains unclear exactly what led to the horrific incident.

The unexpected tragedy occurred after a mass of people were crammed in a narrow, sloped alley, killing at least 156 people and injuring 151 ― mostly in their 20s ― who were celebrating the first mask-free Halloween in three years.

The government has launched an investigation to get to the bottom of the incident amid growing questions over what went wrong.

Around 100,000 people gathered in Itaewon on Saturday, about three times more than usual, but it was not the most densely packed night the vibrant district has seen so far. In 2017, an estimated 200,000 people had gathered there to celebrate Halloween festivities, but no fatalities were reported back then.

The largest gatherings many Koreans remember are probably associated with the 2002 World Cup when millions of people wearing red shirts representing the national team's color flooded the streets of downtown Seoul to cheer for their squad. No lethal crowd crush was reported during that time either.

Underprepared authorities

Rescue workers, firefighters and police officers are seen on the street in Itaewon, Seoul, Sunday, near the scene of a deadly crowd crush. AP-Yonhap

Steve Allen, a crowd safety management expert based in the United Kingdom, pointed at an absence of crowd management plans as the main reason for the disaster.

"Reviewing the footage I have been sent, I didn't see any police in any of the footage, nor did I see any form of crowd management. Clearly, this is a popular destination and I believe this is the first reincarnation of the event since social distancing, which in itself is a celebration and heightens the crowd risk," he said in an email interview with The Korea Times.