[Itaewon Disaster] Seoul City "2,642 Missing Reports... Dedicated Officials Assigned for Families of the Deceased"

42 Deceased Placed in 42 Hospitals and Funeral Homes
38 Injured Receiving Treatment at Gangnam Seongsim and 37 Other Hospitals
Dedicated Officials Assigned to Bereaved Families to Review Funeral Measures
Joint Memorial Altars Set Up at Seoul Plaza and Itaewon Plaza
All Seoul City-Hosted Events Canceled

On the 30th, ahead of Halloween, a massive crush disaster occurred in the Itaewon area. Police forces are controlling the scene and moving busily around Itaewon, Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jin-hyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it has received over 2,600 missing person reports related to the Itaewon crowd crush disaster. On the 31st, a joint memorial altar will be set up at Seoul Plaza, and dedicated public officials will be assigned to each bereaved family to manage funeral arrangements for the deceased.

On the 30th, the Seoul Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters held a meeting and reported that, based on missing person reports received through the Hannam-dong Community Service Center and the 120 Dasan Call Center, the cumulative number of missing person reports reached 2,642 by noon. The city plans to continue monitoring the condition of the injured twice daily until November 2.

As of now, 151 deaths have been confirmed, with the deceased placed in 42 hospitals and funeral homes located in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and other areas. Among the injured, 24 are in serious condition and 79 have minor injuries; they are receiving treatment at 38 hospitals, including Gangnam Seongsim Hospital.

The city will assign dedicated public officials to each bereaved family. They plan to identify the personal information and family contact details of the deceased to provide support, and are reviewing funeral arrangements with these dedicated officials. The number of cremation facility operations will also be increased to a maximum of 60 times per day.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government explained, "Funeral procedures and support for the bereaved will be carried out with the utmost respect for the wishes of the families."

From the morning of the 31st, a joint memorial altar will be established at Seoul Plaza. Yongsan-gu will also operate a joint memorial altar at Itaewon Plaza. As the government has designated the national mourning period until November 5, the Seoul City Hall and its affiliated investment and public institutions will fly flags at half-mast.

About 100 businesses in the Itaewon-ro area will voluntarily suspend operations. In preparation for citizens gathering to celebrate Halloween until the 31st, safety management has been requested for establishments frequented by large numbers of people.

Seoul city-sponsored events will be canceled, and cooperation will be requested to reduce festival-type events among those supported by the city.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government stated, "We will prioritize accident response and support for the bereaved families, deploying all city resources, and actively cooperate with related agencies such as the police to investigate the cause of the accident."

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