The first police officers to arrive at the scene of the human avalanche that killed more than 150 people during a Halloween party in Itaewon, Seoul, did so 85 minutes after the incident began, according to police data released Sunday.
Five patrols of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency were dispatched to the scene, according to the record submitted to opposition deputy Lee Tae Won and cited by South Korean news agency Yonhap.
The first patrol to arrive was Number 11, which showed up at the scene at 11:40 p.m. on Oct. 29 on the orders of Lee Im Jae even though the first emergency call to 112 was received at 10:15 p.m. The first patrol to arrive was Number 11. Four other patrols arrived between 11:50 p.m. and 1:40 a.m. the following day.
Lee, currently on suspension, arrived at his post at 11:05 p.m., about 50 minutes after the tragedy began. He reportedly insisted on driving from the restaurant where he was dining with police colleagues to the police station despite the immense traffic congestion in the area. The police station is only a 10-minute walk from the restaurant.
Eight units of replacement police also arrived, whose function is to support the professional police officers. They arrived between 0.50 and 1.12 am.
The report further mentions how an internal police intelligence report warning of possible incidents related to Halloween parties was allegedly deleted after the incident. The report was never handed over to the police commanders and the fact that it was deleted suggests that the officers intended to cover up their inaction.
On the other hand, opposition deputy Cheon Jun Ho has published that the Fire Department received an emergency call to 119 at 10:12 p.m. in which the person concerned claimed to be having trouble breathing and hung up shortly after amidst mumbling.
The first rescue team was sent to the area at 22.17 hours and the collaboration of the Police was requested a minute later. The Seoul City Hall emergency center was notified at 22:28 and the Ministry of the Interior at 22:48. The Presidency was informed at 22:53.
Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in Seoul to remember the victims of the human avalanche that took the lives of at least 156 people last October 29 at a Halloween party and to protest against the authorities, whom they hold responsible for the tragedy.
The authorities have announced an investigation into what happened and municipal offices, police stations and fire stations have been searched. The National Police and President Yoon Suk Yeol have apologized for what happened and promised to improve security measures for future occasions. However, this response was not enough for a population outraged by what happened.
