Tributes pour in for Seoul stampede victims

The Itaewon tragedy raised a global alert over crowd management.

In Indonesia, more than 170 people were killed in a stampede at a soccer match in East Java province on Oct 1.

In 2015, more than 2,000 pilgrims died in a stampede in Saudi Arabia during the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.

Two years earlier, 115 people died in a stampede on a bridge near the Ratangarh Mata Temple in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh during the Hindu festival of Navratri.

Ha, from the International Association of Emergency Managers, said, "The severity of the Itaewon accident is certainly related to a high degree to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak."

Noting the prevalence of mental stress among the majority of South Koreans since the pandemic emerged in the country at the start of 2020, Ha said many young people wanted to relieve their anxiety by taking part in Halloween festivities in Itaewon.

"As long as Omicron sub-variants of COVID-19 continue to mutate, a second or third such accident may happen anywhere," Ha said.

In addition to government supervision, Ha said people need to be aware of potential danger at mass gatherings, and they should try to avoid areas where accidents are likely to happen.

Yoon, the South Korean president, will hold a meeting between government officials and the public next week to discuss ways to improve safety measures and analyze the cause of the Itaewon tragedy.