No safety staff for S. Korea pop concert
Print Edition
SOUTH Korean police said yesterday no safety personnel were deployed at an outdoor pop concert where a ventilation grate collapsed, killing 16 people and injuring nine others.
“From the beginning, there were no safety personnel for the concert,” a police spokesman told reporters, according to Yonhap news agency, after about 20 people were questioned over the incident on Friday in Seongnam, south of Seoul.
Those questioned included officials of Edaily, a domestic Internet news provider which financed and organized the concert attended by over 700 people, Yonhap said.
A local government official in charge of safety committed suicide on Saturday by jumping off a building near the site after he was questioned by police.
The victims were standing on a ventilation grating to get a better view when the structure collapsed under their weight, sending them plunging 18.7 meters into an underground parking area.
Amateur video footage obtained by television stations showed shocked spectators surrounding the collapsed grate as the all-girl K-pop band 4Minute, apparently oblivious to the accident, continued performing on stage.
Witnesses have told media there were no security guards or safety fences to prevent spectators overflowing, with dozens of people chanting and dancing on the grating despite warnings by show organizers.
Edaily chairman Kwak Jea-Sun apologized to the victims’ families and said he would take responsibility for the tragedy, including compensation.
“An unexpected incident happened due to structural problems and negligence,” he said.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
