The initial shock from a deadly crush among Halloween party-goers in South Korea is turning into public outrage over the government's planning missteps, as business owners say police were more focused on crime and COVID than crowd safety.
The crush on Saturday night killed 156 and injured 152 as revellers flooded narrow alleyways. Experts blamed a lack of adequate crowd and traffic control for aggravating the surge: Police dispatched just 137 officers to the area despite estimating as many as 100,000 people would gather that night in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon.
