[Itaewon Tragedy] Kim Dong-yeon Urges "Best Efforts for Recovery and Support for Victims' Care"

Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong-yeon is presiding over an emergency countermeasure meeting related to the Itaewon Halloween Day disaster on the morning of the 30th at the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon.

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Kim Dong-yeon, Governor of Gyeonggi Province, has ordered to do his best in supporting the placement of victims related to the Itaewon Halloween Day disaster.

At 9 a.m. on the 30th, Governor Kim gave three instructions to the Fire and Disaster Headquarters of Gyeonggi Province during the emergency countermeasure meeting for the Seoul Itaewon crowd crush disaster held in the video conference room on the 6th floor of the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters in Gwonseon-gu, Suwon.

Governor Kim first urged, "Among the victims, Gyeonggi residents are important, but regardless of region, do your best to support recovery and placement of the victims."

He also said, "Since there is no distinction between local and central governments in handling the accident, please cooperate closely with the Central Countermeasures Headquarters and do your best to support," and ordered, "Please take all possible responses that Gyeonggi Province can do."

Furthermore, he added, "Through this accident, we once again realized the importance of prevention," and said, "If prevention had been thorough in advance, this accident could have been prevented. Therefore, for large-scale events such as university festivals and Christmas held in the province in the future, both Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Fire and Disaster Headquarters should pay more attention to safety."

Immediately after the Seoul Itaewon disaster, Gyeonggi Province dispatched 98 personnel and 49 vehicles to the site.

Also, from the night of the 29th, patrol activities were conducted at eight locations expected to be crowded with residents due to festivals, including Rodeo Street near Suwon Station and Beomgye Station in Anyang.

Currently, Gyeonggi Province has dispatched about 10 employees from the Safety Management Office to more than 19 hospitals and facilities to promptly identify the victims. They are also operating a missing person report phone line for residents related to the accident (Disaster Situation Team 031-230-6653).

The province plans to support victims among Gyeonggi residents by operating the "Itaewon Crowd Crush Disaster Related Gyeonggi Province Emergency Response Support Team," led by the First Deputy Governor, until the situation is resolved.

Meanwhile, a large number of casualties presumed to be due to crowd crush occurred near Itaewon Station in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, just before midnight on the 29th. According to Yongsan Fire Station, around 10:15 p.m. that night, a large crowd gathered in an alley near the Hamilton Hotel at Itaewon Station on Seoul Subway Line 6, and as of 6 a.m. on the 30th, 149 people were confirmed dead and about 76 injured. The number of deaths and injuries is expected to increase as the police and fire authorities continue to investigate the cause of the accident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.