International
South Korea’s Yoon declares mourning period after Halloween crush kills 151
South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday after a Halloween crush killed some 151 people in a packed nightlife area in Seoul.
Yoon expressed condolences to the victims, mostly teenagers and people in their 20s, and his wishes for a speedy recovery to the many injured in one of the South Korea’s worst disasters and the world’s worst stampedes in decades.
“This is truly tragic,” he said in a statement. “A tragedy and disaster that should not have happened took place in the heart of Seoul last night.”
A huge crowd celebrating in the popular Itaewon district surged into an alley on Saturday night, emergency officials said, adding the death toll could rise.
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| A street in Itaewon district is pictured full of people before a stampede during Halloween festivities killed and injured many in Seoul, South Korea, in this image released by Yonhap on October 30, 2022. Photo: Yonhap via Reuters |
Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, said 151 deaths had been confirmed, including 22 foreigners. He told a briefing at the scene 82 people were injured, 19 of them seriously.
Families and friends desperately sought word of loved ones at community centres that had become makeshift facilities for missing persons.
As of midday, the Interior Ministry said at least 90% of the victims had been identified, with delays affecting some foreign nationals and teenagers who did not yet have identification cards.
South Korean tech and mobile game firms including Kakao and NCSOFT pulled their Halloween promotions after the tragedy, while amusement park Everland cancelled Halloween-themed events. Many regional governments and organisations have cancelled or reduced festivals and other celebrations.
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| South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol walks at the scene where many people died and were injured in a stampede during a Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, October 30, 2022. Photo: Reuters |
It was the first Halloween event in Seoul in three years to be virtually free of COVID-19 restrictions and social distancing. Many of the partygoers were wearing masks and Halloween costumes.
Early on Sunday costumes and personal belongings mingled with blood spots in the narrow street. Survivors huddled under emergency blankets amid throngs of emergency workers, police, and media.
Many of those killed were near a nightclub, Choi said. Many of the victims were women in their 20s, while the foreigners killed included people from China, Iran, Uzbekistan and Norway, he said.
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| Family members of people missing after a stampede during Halloween festivities, gather at a community service center in Seoul, South Korea, October 30, 2022. Photo: Reuters |
Witnesses described the crowd becoming increasingly unruly and agitated as the evening deepened. Chaos erupted just before the 10:20 p.m. (1320 GMT) stampede, with police on hand for the event at times struggling to control the crowds, witnesses said.
Moon Ju-young, 21, said there were clear signs of trouble in the alley before the incident. He told Reuters it was more than 10 times as crowded as usual.
Social media footage showed hundreds of people packed in the narrow, sloped alley crushed and immobile as emergency officials and police tried to pull them free.
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| Rescue workers work at the scene where a stampede during Halloween festivities killed an injured many people at the popular Itaewon district in Seoul, South Korea, October 30, 2022. Photo: Yonhap via Reuters |
Packed alley on slope
Choi, the Yongsan district fire chief, said all the deaths were likely from the crush in the alley.
Fire officials and witnesses said people continued to pour into the alley after it was already packed wall-to-wall, when those at the top of the slope fell, sending people below them toppling over others.
One woman said her daughter, pulled from the crush of people, survived after being trapped for more than an hour.
A makeshift morgue was set up in a building next to the scene. About four dozen bodies were wheeled out on wheeled stretchers and moved to a government facility to identify the victims, according to a Reuters witness.
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| Partygoers walk by ambulances at the scene where dozens of people were injured in a stampede during a Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, October 30, 2022. Photo: Reuters |
The Itaewon district is popular with young South Koreans and expatriates alike, its dozens of bars and restaurants packed on Saturday for Halloween after businesses had suffered a sharp decline over three years of the pandemic.
“You would see big crowds at Christmas and fireworks … but this was several ten-folds bigger than any of that,” Park Jung-hoon, 21, told Reuters from the scene.
International leaders offered condolences, including U.S. President Joe Biden and China’s Xi Jinping, who noted that Chinese were among the dead and injured.
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| Rescue teams work at the scene where dozens of people were injured in a stampede during a Halloween festival in Seoul, South Korea, October 30, 2022. Photo: Reuters |
With the easing of the COVID pandemic, curfews on bars and restaurants and a limit of 10 people for private gatherings were lifted in April. An outdoor mask mandate was dropped in May.
President Yoon held an emergency meeting with senior aides and ordered a task force be set up to secure resources to treat the injured and launch a thorough investigation into the cause of the disaster.
The disaster is among the country’s deadliest since a 2014 ferry sinking that killed 304 people, mainly high school students.
The sinking of the Sewol, and criticism of the official response, sent shockwaves across South Korea, prompting widespread soul-searching over safety measures in the country that are likely to be renewed in the wake of Saturday’s crush.
Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20221030/south-korea-s-yoon-declares-mourning-period-after-halloween-crush-kills-151/69809.html
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, domestic media reported.
A loud explosion was heard, but the premier took cover and was unharmed while police subdued a man at the scene, public broadcaster NHK said. There were no injuries, NHK said, citing police.
“Police are investigating the details of the loud explosive sound at the previous speech venue,” Kishida said when he resumed his campaign speeches, in video broadcast by NHK. “I am sorry for causing many people to be concerned. We are in the middle of an important election for our country. We must carry this on together.”
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving leader of modern Japan, was assassinated with a homemade gun last July while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking the nation and prompting a review of security for politicians, who routinely press the flesh with the public.
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| Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends his outdoor speech at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama,Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Photo: Reuters |
By-elections in various regions for the lower house of Japan’s parliament are to be held on April 23.
The incident late on Saturday morning incident occurred at the Saikazaki fishing harbour in Wakayama prefecture, some 65 km (40 miles) southwest of Osaka city.
Kishida was being served local speciality seafood just before the explosion, media reported. News video showed Kishida looking behind him in surprise as shouts filled the area.
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| A man, believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech, is held by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Photo: Reuters |
A man identified by the Asahi newspaper as a staffer of the fishery cooperative grabbed a young man in a headlock as police swarmed the suspect and dragged him to the ground. Moments later, an explosion and cloud of smoke could be seen near where Kishida had been standing.
NHK video showed the thrown object, which appeared to be a metal cylinder.
NHK footage showed crowds running away as several police officers appeared to pin a man to the ground before removing him from the scene. The man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, media said.
A representative of Wakayama’s prefectural police headquarters told Reuters he could not answer questions about the incident. Police arrested a 24-year old male suspect from Kawanishi city, Kyodo reported.
A woman on the scene told NHK that she saw an object flying overhead and “it gave me a bad feeling, so we ran away unbelievably fast. Then we heard a really loud noise. It made my daughter cry.”
Kishida is to host a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima next month. Japan’s foreign ministry said after the incident there would be no change to the security plan for a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting starting on Sunday in the resort city of Karuizawa.
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| A man, believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech, is held by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Photo: Reuters |
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| A man, believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech, is held by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Photo: Reuters |
TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was evacuated unhurt after a suspect threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb at an outdoor speech in western Japan on Saturday, domestic media reported.
A loud explosion was heard, but the premier took cover and was unharmed while police subdued a man at the scene, public broadcaster NHK said. There were no injuries, NHK said, citing police.
“Police are investigating the details of the loud explosive sound at the previous speech venue,” Kishida said when he resumed his campaign speeches, in video broadcast by NHK. “I am sorry for causing many people to be concerned. We are in the middle of an important election for our country. We must carry this on together.”
Former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the longest-serving leader of modern Japan, was assassinated with a homemade gun last July while campaigning for a parliamentary election, shocking the nation and prompting a review of security for politicians, who routinely press the flesh with the public.
|
| Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida attends his outdoor speech at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama,Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Photo: Reuters |
By-elections in various regions for the lower house of Japan’s parliament are to be held on April 23.
The incident late on Saturday morning incident occurred at the Saikazaki fishing harbour in Wakayama prefecture, some 65 km (40 miles) southwest of Osaka city.
Kishida was being served local speciality seafood just before the explosion, media reported. News video showed Kishida looking behind him in surprise as shouts filled the area.
|
| A man, believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech, is held by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Photo: Reuters |
A man identified by the Asahi newspaper as a staffer of the fishery cooperative grabbed a young man in a headlock as police swarmed the suspect and dragged him to the ground. Moments later, an explosion and cloud of smoke could be seen near where Kishida had been standing.
NHK video showed the thrown object, which appeared to be a metal cylinder.
NHK footage showed crowds running away as several police officers appeared to pin a man to the ground before removing him from the scene. The man appeared to be in his 20s or 30s, media said.
A representative of Wakayama’s prefectural police headquarters told Reuters he could not answer questions about the incident. Police arrested a 24-year old male suspect from Kawanishi city, Kyodo reported.
A woman on the scene told NHK that she saw an object flying overhead and “it gave me a bad feeling, so we ran away unbelievably fast. Then we heard a really loud noise. It made my daughter cry.”
Kishida is to host a Group of Seven (G7) summit in Hiroshima next month. Japan’s foreign ministry said after the incident there would be no change to the security plan for a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting starting on Sunday in the resort city of Karuizawa.
|
| A man, believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech, is held by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Photo: Reuters |
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| A man, believed to be a suspect who threw a pipe-like object near Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during his outdoor speech, is held by police officers at Saikazaki fishing port in Wakayama, Wakayama Prefecture, south-western Japan April 15, 2023, in this photo released by Kyodo. Photo: Reuters |
Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20230415/japan-pm-kishida-evacuated-unhurt-after-explosion-at-speech-media/72648.html
At least four people died and 13 were injured in a fire at a shelter for children and adolescents in Northeastern Brazil on Friday, the local fire department said.
Firemen were called to fight a fire at the Lar Paulo de Tarso charity institution in Recife, capital of the Pernambuco state, at around 4:20 a.m.
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| A mattress is seen behind a civil defence tape outside Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children, after a deadly fire in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters |
A boy and a woman died at the site of the fire, the firemen said, while the other two victims died on the way to the hospital.
Recife Mayor Joao Campos offered his condolences on social media.
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| Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children is seen with civil defence tape after a deadly fire in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters |
“The moment is one of pain and solidarity. … The NGO has been providing shelter to children and adolescents in situations of social risk for more than 30 years. We remain mobilized to provide full support in this very difficult time,” he said on Twitter.
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| A burned area is seen after a deadly fire at Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters |
Governor of Pernambuco Raquel Lyra also took to Twitter to mourn the tragedy.
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| A burned area is seen after a deadly fire at Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters |
“Pernambuco is in mourning with what happened this early morning in Recife. … Firefighters and police are already working, as well as our health teams. I leave here my condolences to the families of the victims in this moment of pain,” Lyra said.
At least four people died and 13 were injured in a fire at a shelter for children and adolescents in Northeastern Brazil on Friday, the local fire department said.
Firemen were called to fight a fire at the Lar Paulo de Tarso charity institution in Recife, capital of the Pernambuco state, at around 4:20 a.m.
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| A mattress is seen behind a civil defence tape outside Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children, after a deadly fire in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters |
A boy and a woman died at the site of the fire, the firemen said, while the other two victims died on the way to the hospital.
Recife Mayor Joao Campos offered his condolences on social media.
|
| Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children is seen with civil defence tape after a deadly fire in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters |
“The moment is one of pain and solidarity. … The NGO has been providing shelter to children and adolescents in situations of social risk for more than 30 years. We remain mobilized to provide full support in this very difficult time,” he said on Twitter.
|
| A burned area is seen after a deadly fire at Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters |
Governor of Pernambuco Raquel Lyra also took to Twitter to mourn the tragedy.
|
| A burned area is seen after a deadly fire at Lar Paulo de Tarso shelter for children in Recife, Pernambuco state, Brazil April 14, 2023. Photo: Reuters |
“Pernambuco is in mourning with what happened this early morning in Recife. … Firefighters and police are already working, as well as our health teams. I leave here my condolences to the families of the victims in this moment of pain,” Lyra said.
Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20230415/fire-in-a-children-s-shelter-in-brazil-leaves-at-least-4-dead-13-injured/72646.html
LIMA — Archaeologists in the Peruvian Andes have discovered an Inca bathing complex built half a millennia ago, which they believe may have served the elite of the sprawling empire that once dominated large swathes of South America.
Found near the “House of the Inca” in the Huanuco Pampa archaeological zone in central Peru, local archaeologists believe that the bath may have served a religious purpose for high-ranking members of the Inca empire, which 500 years ago extended from southern Ecuador to the center of Chile.
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| The remains of an ancient ceremonial Inca bathroom, discovered in a sector known as Inkawasi (House of the Inca), at the archaeological site Huanuco Pampa, are pictured in Huanuco, Peru April 5, 2023. Peru Culture Ministry/Handout via Reuters |
Luis Paredes Sanchez, project manager at Huanuco Pampa, said the structure was similar to “more hierarchical, restricted and sacred spaces within the Inca administrative centers, because rather than having a utilitarian or hygienic function, they also served for religious functions and worshiping ancestors.”
The “finely carved” bath averages some two-meters in depth, with independent pools and spillways and a central passage taking water into a drainage duct that divides the room into two small platforms, or “benches” for the Inca, Peru’s culture ministry said in a statement.
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| Archaeologists work in the remains of an ancient ceremonial Inca bathroom, discovered in a sector known as Inkawasi (House of the Inca), at the archaeological site Huanuco Pampa, in Huanuco, Peru March 20, 2023. Peru Culture Ministry/Handout via Reuters |
The Huanuco Pampa archaeological site is part of the Qhapaq Nan project, a complex 25,000-kilometer-long road network that linked Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. The road system was declared a World Heritage Site in 2014.
Peru is home to hundreds of archaeological sites across the country, including the Machu Picchu citadel in the Inca capital of Cusco, and the Nasca lines, massive designs drawn in Ica’s coastal desert region over 1,500 years ago.
LIMA — Archaeologists in the Peruvian Andes have discovered an Inca bathing complex built half a millennia ago, which they believe may have served the elite of the sprawling empire that once dominated large swathes of South America.
Found near the “House of the Inca” in the Huanuco Pampa archaeological zone in central Peru, local archaeologists believe that the bath may have served a religious purpose for high-ranking members of the Inca empire, which 500 years ago extended from southern Ecuador to the center of Chile.
|
| The remains of an ancient ceremonial Inca bathroom, discovered in a sector known as Inkawasi (House of the Inca), at the archaeological site Huanuco Pampa, are pictured in Huanuco, Peru April 5, 2023. Peru Culture Ministry/Handout via Reuters |
Luis Paredes Sanchez, project manager at Huanuco Pampa, said the structure was similar to “more hierarchical, restricted and sacred spaces within the Inca administrative centers, because rather than having a utilitarian or hygienic function, they also served for religious functions and worshiping ancestors.”
The “finely carved” bath averages some two-meters in depth, with independent pools and spillways and a central passage taking water into a drainage duct that divides the room into two small platforms, or “benches” for the Inca, Peru’s culture ministry said in a statement.
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| Archaeologists work in the remains of an ancient ceremonial Inca bathroom, discovered in a sector known as Inkawasi (House of the Inca), at the archaeological site Huanuco Pampa, in Huanuco, Peru March 20, 2023. Peru Culture Ministry/Handout via Reuters |
The Huanuco Pampa archaeological site is part of the Qhapaq Nan project, a complex 25,000-kilometer-long road network that linked Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. The road system was declared a World Heritage Site in 2014.
Peru is home to hundreds of archaeological sites across the country, including the Machu Picchu citadel in the Inca capital of Cusco, and the Nasca lines, massive designs drawn in Ica’s coastal desert region over 1,500 years ago.
Source: https://tuoitrenews.vn/news/international/20230415/peruvian-archaeologists-unearth-500yearold-inca-ceremonial-bath/72645.html
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