 Rescue workers carry a survivor rescued from a mudslide in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, Wednesday. Eleven students from Inha University who were there doing volunteer died. / Yonhap |
By Kim Tae-jong
Students and staff at Inha University in Incheon are grieving over the deaths of 11 undergraduates killed Wednesday in a landslide in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province caused by torrential rain.
The school is struggling to cope with the tragic deaths, with President Lee Bon-soo convening an emergency meeting of senior staffers to discuss all supportive measures for the bereaved families of the students.
“I feel so sorry for them. I think they were probably people I have met on campus,” a student wrote on the message board on the school’s website.
Many others also posted messages to express their condolences for the tragic death of their peers.
“I hope they can rest in peace,” one said.
School officials were also in mourning and set up a memorial alter near the front gate of the university to commemorate the dead.
“We sincerely express our condolences to the students who died from the accident and pray for the quick recovery of the injured ones,” they said in a statement.
The landslide occurred at a mountain resort in Chuncheon, causing 36 casualties and destroying four buildings.
What is drawing public attention is that the 11 were on a trip to do volunteer work and were mostly in their early 20s.
A total of 35 students, belonging to the university’s science club, visited the region Monday to hold an annual science event for three days.
Every summer vacation, members of “Idea Bank” visit rural areas, invite elementary school students there and conduct various science experiments with them.
According to the bereaved families of the dead students, they wanted to visit the region as scheduled despite the bad weather, saying that they didn’t want to disappoint the participating schoolchildren.
The school will discuss the details of the funerals and medical treatment for the injured with the students’ families, an official said, emphasizing that it will do whatever it can.
“We all respect the spirit and passion of the students who devoted themselves to volunteer work, and we’ll do our best to continue this,” the school official said.
