At least 14 people at an open-air pop concert were killed Friday after the metal grate on which they were standing collapsed, sending them plunging down a ventilator shaft.
Officials said at least 10 others were injured while watching a performance of the popular female band 4Minute in an area south of the South Korean capital. Roughly 700 people, many of them young girls, attended the concert.
Hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the 16 deaths, Reuters news agency reported.
When the grate gave way, concert-goers plunged 20 meters, or 65 feet, into an underground parking area. It is not clear what caused the grate’s collapse.
South Korea is still recovering from the disastrous April 15 sinking of the ferry MV Sewal, which killed more than 300 people, mostly high school students.
That incident had sparked discussion of stricter regulatory oversight.
Officials said at least 10 others were injured while watching a performance of the popular female band 4Minute in an area south of the South Korean capital. Roughly 700 people, many of them young girls, attended the concert.Hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the 16 deaths, Reuters news agency reported.
When the grate gave way, concert-goers plunged 20 meters, or 65 feet, into an underground parking area. It is not clear what caused the grate’s collapse.
South Korea is still recovering from the disastrous April 15 sinking of the ferry MV Sewal, which killed more than 300 people, mostly high school students.
That incident had sparked discussion of stricter regulatory oversight.
