16 killed in pop concert mishap
Emergency staff look through the broken grate of a deep ventilation shaft in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Friday. / Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
Sixteen people were killed and 11 seriously injured Friday when the ventilation grate they stood on collapsed during an outdoor pop concert in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
According to Gyeonggi Fire Department, the accident occurred at around 5:30 p.m. when K-pop girl group 4Minute was performing at the concert venue near Pangyo Techno Valley, a multi-purpose complex for technology firms.
Those injured were sent to nearby hospitals immediately. Fire officials said the death toll is likely to rise since many of the injured were listed in critical condition.
“Twelve people were killed on the spot. Two others died while they were being rushed to hospitals. Others may die at hospitals,” said a fireman.
Officials said about 30 people were standing on the ventilation grate to get a better view when it collapsed sending 27 of them down the 20-meter shaft.
The officials said about 1,000 people were at the concert, jointly hosted by Gyeonggi Institute of Science & Technology Promotion and Gyeonggi Provincial Government.
Police are investigating what exactly caused the accident.
Many of the victims were office workers who just got off work.
“The people standing there were suddenly just gone,” a 65-year-old female witness, was quoted as saying by Yonhap news agency. “When I saw smoke coming from the ventilation grate, I thought someone was smoking a cigarette.”
“I heard a big sound near it, but thought the sound was from the singers,” another witness said. “Then, people started screaming ‘people have fallen.’ Soon, rescue workers arrived.”
The rescue team pulled the victims out of the shaft which was connected to a basement four levels below.
Witnesses said there were no warning signs or safety staff.
“I watched the concert from the morning but I did not see a single safety staff member,” a store owner near the scene said. “No one tried to stop the victims when they stood on the ventilation grate.”
At 9:45 p.m., Prime Minister Chung Hong-Won called an emergency meeting of ministers to deal with the aftermath of the accident. Chung also visited the site.
Gyeonggi Provincial Government and Seongnam City Government have also formed an emergency team.
When the accident happened, the girl group members were unaware of it.
According to Cube Entertainment, their agency, the singers learned of the accident after they returned to Seoul in the late evening.
As of 10:30 p.m., two of the dead had been identified.
The incident came as Korea still struggles with the aftermath of the Sewol ferry disaster on April 16 that left more than 300 people dead or missing.
Analysts say the latest incident is expected to pressure politicians further for more safety rules and heavier punishment for those violating them.