Seoul to adopt crowd alert to avoid repeat of Halloween tragedy

Commuters entering an underground train station in Seoul. Seoul Metropolitan Government will implement a people counting system which automatically detects crowds through CCTV and notifies authorities of danger signs, the city said. — AFP

South Korea’s capital announced plans to strengthen surveillance to avoid a repeat of last year’s crowd crush that killed almost 160 people at a nightlife district during Halloween festivities.

Seoul Metropolitan Government will implement a people counting system which automatically detects crowds through closed-circuit televisions and notifies authorities of danger signs, the city said in a statement on Oct 12. The system will be operational from Oct 27.