SEOUL: A South Korean official handling safety measures at a concert where 16 people died apparently committed suicide hours after the tragedy which happened when a ventilation grate collapsed, authorities said.
The death of the 37-year-old local government official, surnamed Oh, was announced as South Korean police launched an investigation into Friday’s incident at an outdoor pop concert in the city of Seongnam.
“I am sorry for the dead victims. Please take a good care of my children,” he wrote in a short message to his wife.”
The victims were standing on a ventilation grating to get a better view when the structure collapsed under their weight, sending them plunging 18.7 metres down into an underground parking area.
Amateur video footage obtained by the YTN news channel showed shocked spectators surrounding the collapsed grate as the popular all-girl K-pop band 4Minute, apparently oblivious to the accident, continued performing.
The incident comes as South Korea is still grappling with the aftermath of the Sewol ferry disaster in April that left more than 300 dead, most of them high school students.
Disaster relief spokesman Kim Nam-Jun told journalists yesterday that Oh, who worked with a group sponsoring the concert, jumped off a building near where the tragedy took place.
He was found dead early yesterday a few hours after he was interrogated by police over the disaster, YTN TV said.
Kim also said authorities had inspected the site yesterday.
“A joint team of police and national forensic experts scoured the site this morning and closely inspected gratings and related structures,” he said.
Police have questioned 15 people, including officials of the local Internet news provider which financed and organised the concert, Yonhap news agency said.
“If it turns out that safety regulations were ignored, we would bring criminal charges against them,” a police official was quoted as saying by Yonhap.
Witnesses told media there were no security guards or safety fences to prevent overflowing spectators climbing onto the grate after some 400 prepared chairs were fully occupied well before the concert kicked off.
“Many people on the vent gratings were chanting and dancing to the music. I was worried about their safety but there were no security guards around,” a 45-year-old man who runs a restaurant near the site was quoted as saying by Chosun Ilbo newspaper. AFP
