Tragic scene: A file photo of dozens of people who were being treated by paramedics after thousands of people crowded into narrow streets in the city’s Itaewon neighbourhood to celebrate Halloween on Oct 30, 2022. — AFP
THE city will use a crowd control alert system during the upcoming Halloween festivities in October, as the authorities take measures to prevent massive crowding that led to the Itaewon tragedy in 2022.
The system can count the number of people captured by surveillance cameras and will alert the authorities to overcrowded places, Korea JoongAng Daily reported on Thursday.
“The software connected to the CCTVs will notify emergency rooms in each district office, the city government, the fire department and the police if it detects overcrowded places,” said the report.
Among other measures, the city has increased manpower for its emergency situation room, and implemented a set-up for the authorities to monitor live footage and updates given by emergency respondents.
More than 900 surveillance cameras will be installed in Seoul by this year. The focus will be on more than 70 densely populated regions, said the report.
Celebrations in Seoul are expected to start in the days before Halloween on Oct 31.
In 2022, more than 150 people were killed and more than 190 injured in a crowd crush in the district of Itaewon during the festivities. The victims were mostly young people and women.
The Korea JoongAng Daily said that there were clampdowns on illegal constructions from November 2022 to May 2023, as unauthorised extension of a hotel’s premises in Itaewon was blamed for contributing to the tragedy.
It also said there will be inspections before and during the upcoming Halloween events at places expected to attract huge crowds, including Gangnam Station and Itaewon.
Safety personnel and emergency medical support will be available during the celebrations.
One-way traffic will be allowed on selected roads during the Halloween weekend. — The Straits Times/ANN
