South Korea vows probe into deadly Halloween stampede

South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo on Monday promised a thorough investigation into the Halloween crush over the weekend that killed more than 150 mostly young people in the capital, plunging the country into mourning.
Officials said 154 had been killed and 149 injured, with 33 people in serious condition.
Tens of thousands of partiers had crowded into narrow streets and alleyways of Seoul’s popular Itaewon district on Saturday for the first virtually unrestricted Halloween festivities in three years. Many of the revelers were in their teens and dressed in costume.
But chaos erupted when people poured into one particularly narrow and sloping alley, even after it was already packed, witnesses said.
“The government will undertake a thorough investigation into what caused this accident and do its best to make necessary institutional changes so that such an accident is not repeated,” Han said as government officials met on the disaster.