There were 10 emergency calls before the Itaewon Halloween tragedy

Crowded situation during an incident during Halloween celebrations in Itaewon, Seoul, South Korea, October 29, 2022. A total of 149 people died in the incident as visitors crowded through a narrow alley

Itaewon Halloween tragedy Source: youtube.com

On Wednesday, November 2, 2022, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo called on South Korean police to explain what action had been taken after hours and minutes before the Halloween parties in Itaewon turned into a disaster. which killed more than 150 people, several emergency calls had been received. Among the victims who died in Itaewon on Halloween, 26 were foreigners.

This disaster occurred on Saturday evening October 29, 2022, when the assault left 157 dead and 151 injured. 29 injured are in critical condition. A total of 26 foreigners who died came from 14 countries.

"The police should conduct a thorough investigation and provide the public with a clean and transparent statement," said Premier Han, who was about to start a meeting with the disaster management task force.

On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, South Korean police released a transcript of an emergency call to police. The 911 call was actually a signal or warning of a possible deadly panic. The series of emergency calls came about four hours before the tragedy, which killed more than 150 people.

According to the published newspaper, the police received about 10 calls with the same message that Itaewon was in chaos. No one expected the chaos to have a very fatal ending.

Tens of thousands of young people fill the streets and alleys of Itaewon, known as a nightlife district. For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, Halloween parties can be held without masks and other Covid-19 rules.

The South Korean police are known to have very careful plans to control crowds. But what happened on Saturday evening October 29, 2022? Tens of thousands of young South Koreans were then granted the freedom to free themselves from the rules of Covid-19. As a result, visitors eager to celebrate Halloween in the nightlife entertainment district of Seoul's Itaewon district have exploded.

The police then deployed only 137 officers, most of whom were not designed to lead crowds of visitors but to monitor possible crimes such as sexual harassment, theft and drug use.

Sunday morning October 30, 2022, this decision had a cost. More than 150 people who wanted a Halloween party were crushed to death in an alley in Itaewon.

Most senior South Korean government officials have remained silent about what happened in Itaewon on Saturday afternoon, October 29, 2022. This incident has been recorded as the worst disaster in South Korea's history, where the police were seen as out of control in the crowd, making it difficult to control them.