Sunday 19 October 2014

Apparent suicide after deadly concert





  • The official handled safety at a concert, where an accident killed 16 on Friday

  • A ventilation shaft gave way, dropping more than two dozen concert goers four stories

  • The man was found dead on Saturday

  • He posted a message to Facebook apologizing to the victims and his family




(CNN) -- A day after 16 died in an accident at a concert in South Korea, a man responsible for safety measures was found also dead, the country's semi-official news agency reported. It was an apparent suicide.


On Friday, a ventilation grate gave way, and more than two dozen people standing on it plunged some 20 meters (66 feet) -- or four stories -- into an underground parking structure below, a government accident response task force said.


In addition to the deaths, eleven people were injured, three seriously.


On Saturday, the body of the 37-year-old safety official was found on a street near his office, Yonhap news agency reported, citing police. They think he jumped to his death.


He left a brief message on his Facebook page. "I apologize to the victims. I'm sorry to my family."


On Friday, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won inspected the gaping concrete hole that swallowed up concertgoers.


Some media reports indicate the victims were standing on the grate in order to get a better view of the stage.


A witness told CNN affiliate YTN, "There was a sudden, loud screaming and when I turned, it looked as if people were being sucked down into a hole."


About 700 people were attending the concert, which featured South Korean artists, including the popular all-female group 4Minute, Yonhap reported.


A ferry sinking in April killed more than 300 people, many of them schoolchildren, and caused nationwide outrage.


Critics contend safety measures and regulation are not keeping pace with the fast-paced economic development in the country.


CNN's K.J. Kwon contributed to this report.



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