November 2, 2022
Akahata 'current' column
A deadly human "avalanche" occurred during Halloween festivities in Itaewon, downtown Seoul, resulting in 156 deaths, including two Japanese nationals. Reportedly, although local police identified a possible disaster at the site of the crowd crush beforehand, this was not reflected in the security plan on the day of the Halloween events.
It is also reported that no safety control measures were taken and no security manuals preparing for an overly-high population density event were made despite anticipating a large number of people packing into Itaewon's narrow streets. The risk of such a "crowd avalanche" may occur suddenly with no warning.
Concurrently with the Itaewon tragedy, a cable-suspension bridge in India collapsed, killing more than 140 people. Several employees of the maintenance company responsible for the accident were arrested.
A similar accident occurred in Japan as well. Eleven people were crushed to death on a pedestrian bridge during a fireworks event in Akashi City (Hyogo Pref.) in 2001.
The direct cause of these accidents may be different, but all three can be described as man-made calamities. It is necessary to transform society into a safer and more secure one which places top priority on human life so that each individual's livelihood and human rights can be respected.
A deadly human "avalanche" occurred during Halloween festivities in Itaewon, downtown Seoul, resulting in 156 deaths, including two Japanese nationals. Reportedly, although local police identified a possible disaster at the site of the crowd crush beforehand, this was not reflected in the security plan on the day of the Halloween events.
It is also reported that no safety control measures were taken and no security manuals preparing for an overly-high population density event were made despite anticipating a large number of people packing into Itaewon's narrow streets. The risk of such a "crowd avalanche" may occur suddenly with no warning.
Concurrently with the Itaewon tragedy, a cable-suspension bridge in India collapsed, killing more than 140 people. Several employees of the maintenance company responsible for the accident were arrested.
A similar accident occurred in Japan as well. Eleven people were crushed to death on a pedestrian bridge during a fireworks event in Akashi City (Hyogo Pref.) in 2001.
The direct cause of these accidents may be different, but all three can be described as man-made calamities. It is necessary to transform society into a safer and more secure one which places top priority on human life so that each individual's livelihood and human rights can be respected.
