South Korean Concert Accident Leaves 16 Dead
An accident at an outdoor concert in South Korea has left 16 people dead and others injured. Fans gathered to watch popular girl band 4Minute at the festival when a ventilation grate collapsed beneath viewers. The victims fell nearly 65 feet through a concrete shaft.
Officials have not confirmed the cause of the accident or why the victims were standing on the grate. In photos released after the accident from The Associated Press, the grate stands almost shoulder-high to some viewers. The victims climbed on top of the ventilation system to get a better view of the music group. Others could be in critical condition, as it is estimated 20 to 30 people stood over the collapsed structure. Victims have not been identified.
Another angle of Seongnam ventilation grate accident scene by Yonhap News Agency. You can see situation was terrible. pic.twitter.com/yiq06Tc1lv
— Jaehwan Cho ??? (@hohocho) October 17, 2014
According to NBC News, early footage shown by Yonhap via social media indicates that 4Minute’s performers and fans were unaware for some time that an accident had occurred. Dozens of others stood gaping at the hole, which is three or four yards across. Viewers captured the incident while waiting for officials to arrive at the scene.
This snapshot was after the Ventilation grate collapsed during 4minute concert Seongnam South Korea pic.twitter.com/PbZuUcasFl — yosh (@byunbaekunt) October 17, 2014
The outdoor concert took place at Pangyo Techno Valley, which is a technology complex in Seongnam. The accident took place just south of South Korea’s capital Seoul. Nearly 700 people attended the event. Local television network Yonhap reported that most of the audience were female students.
4Minute is a K-Pop (Korean Pop) girl group. Its five female members formed the band in 2009 by Korean record label Cube Entertainment. Since then, they have won numerous awards across Asia, including the K-Pop New Artist Award at the 2010 Billboard Japan Music Awards. They are most popular in South Korea and Japan.
Safety standards have become a topic of concern in South Korea. The ferryboat incident accident caused a call for better safety regulations across the country, as reported by Inquisitr. Officials transported cargo beyond the suggested weight limit of the vessel. The sinking created panic that the security of its citizens was not a top concern of officials.
The concert accident at Seongnam may reopen discussions for better regulations as South Korea’s development continues at exponential rates.
[Photo Source: NBC/Associated Press]
