SEOUL // Police said on Sunday no safety personnel were deployed at an outdoor pop concert where a ventilation grate collapsed, killing 16 people and injuring nine others.
About 20 people were questioned over the incident on Friday.
“From the beginning, there were no safety personnel for the concert,” a police spokesman said.
Those questioned included officials of Edaily, an internet news provider which financed and organised the concert attended by more than 700 people.
A local government official in charge of safety committed suicide on Saturday by jumping off a building near the site after he was questioned by police.
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 into an underground parking area.
Edaily chairman Kwak Jea-sun apologised to the victims' families and said he would take responsibility, including compensation.
“An unexpected incident happened due to structural problems and negligence,” he said.
Experts described the incident as another “man-made” disaster.
“Over the past decades, economic expansion always took precedence over safety concerns, resulting in a lack of safety consciousness among Koreans,” said Seoul National University Professor Chung Jae-hee.
* Agence France-Presse
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Super lightweight:
Flavio Serafin (BRA) bt Mohammad Al Khatib (JOR)
Super lightweight:
Dwight Brooks (USA) bt Alex Nacfur (BRA)
Bantamweight:
Tariq Ismail (CAN) bt Jalal Al Daaja (JOR)
Featherweight:
Abdullatip Magomedov (RUS) bt Sulaiman Al Modhyan (KUW)
Middleweight:
Mohammad Fakhreddine (LEB) bt Christofer Silva (BRA)
Middleweight:
Rustam Chsiev (RUS) bt Tarek Suleiman (SYR)
Welterweight:
Khamzat Chimaev (SWE) bt Mzwandile Hlongwa (RSA)
Lightweight:
Alex Martinez (CAN) bt Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Welterweight:
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Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
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Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
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Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
A general guide to how active you are:
Less than 5,000 steps - sedentary
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Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
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Fixture
Friday, March 29, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, The Sevens, Dubai
Zidane's managerial achievements
La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
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Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017
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