South Korea Investigates Crowd Surge, India Looks into Bridge Collapse
2022-11-01
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1India and South Korea are mourning and searching for answers after weekend disasters that left hundreds of people killed.
2Saturday, more than 150 people were crushed to death at a crowded Halloween celebration in Seoul.
3The next day, a bridge collapse in India killed at least 133 people.
4The South Korean disaster took place in the narrow roads of Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood.
5The area has many places for drinking, dancing and other nightlife.
6Tens of thousands of people flooded into Itaewon Saturday.
7Witnesses and survivors remembered a "hell-like" chaos when the crowd surged and people began to fall as they tried to escape.
8The witnesses said the entire Itaewon area was very crowded with vehicles and people.
9This made it very difficult for rescuers to get to those in need.
10Police said they have created a 475-member group to investigate the crush.
11Officers have received videos taken by security cameras in the area and are looking at video clips posted on social media.
12The police told reporters that officers have interviewed more than 40 witnesses so far.
13Other police officers said they are trying to find exactly when and where the crowd surge started and how it got worse.
14They said a team of police officers searched the Itaewon area on Monday.
15"The government will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and do its best to make necessary improvements of systems to prevent a similar accident,"
16South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at a government meeting about the disaster.
17Some witnesses said the surge was caused by people in the upper part of the road pushing others farther down the hill.
18Local media also questioned an apparent lack of safety preparations for the large crowd expected to gather in Itaewon.
19Seoul police deployed 137 officers to control the large crowd.
20As of Monday morning, the government said it had identified 153 of the 154 dead.
21It said 149 other people are injured, 33 of them seriously.
22The bridge that collapsed Sunday in the Indian town of Morbi, Gujarat state, was 143 years old. Officials are still searching for possible victims.
23Police said Monday they had arrested nine people in connection with the event.
24The bridge was built by the British in the late 1800s and was called an "engineering marvel."
25It had been closed for repair work for several months earlier this year.
26It reopened four days before the collapse.
27Indian Inspector-General Ashok Yadav said police have formed a special investigative team.
28He said it had arrested employees of the bridge's operator, Oreva Group.
29"We won't let the guilty get away, we won't spare anyone," Yadav said.
30Gujarat authorities opened a case against Oreva for suspected culpable homicide, attempted culpable homicide and other violations.
31The company had reopened the bridge, which crosses a wide part of the Machchhu river, on October 26.
32That is the first day of the Gujarati New Year, which falls during the Hindu festival season.
33The newly reopened bridge drew hundreds of people.
34A Morbi city official, told the Indian Express newspaper the company had reopened the bridge without first getting a "fitness certificate."
35That claim could not be independently confirmed.
36Officials said the structure collapsed under the weight of hundreds of people.
37Security camera videos showed the bridge shaking violently and people trying to hold on to its cables.
38Then the walkway gave way and crashed into the river.
39State minister Harsh Sanghvi told reporters that 133 people were confirmed dead and many others were admitted to hospitals in serious condition.
40Rescue teams worked overnight to search for survivors.
41It was not clear exactly how many people were on the bridge when it collapsed.
42But survivors said it was so crowded that people were unable to quickly move to safety when its cables began to break.
43A Gujarat state government election is expected in coming months.
44Opposition parties have demanded an investigation into the collapse.
45Asia has seen three major disasters involving large crowds in a month.
46In Indonesia, 132 people were killed after police fired tear gas at a crowd during a soccer match October 1.
47It caused a surge as people tried to flee.
48I'm Dan Novak.
1India and South Korea are mourning and searching for answers after weekend disasters that left hundreds of people killed. 2Saturday, more than 150 people were crushed to death at a crowded Halloween celebration in Seoul. The next day, a bridge collapse in India killed at least 133 people. 3The South Korean disaster took place in the narrow roads of Seoul's Itaewon neighborhood. The area has many places for drinking, dancing and other nightlife. 4Tens of thousands of people flooded into Itaewon Saturday. Witnesses and survivors remembered a "hell-like" chaos when the crowd surged and people began to fall as they tried to escape. The witnesses said the entire Itaewon area was very crowded with vehicles and people. This made it very difficult for rescuers to get to those in need. 5Police said they have created a 475-member group to investigate the crush. 6Officers have received videos taken by security cameras in the area and are looking at video clips posted on social media. The police told reporters that officers have interviewed more than 40 witnesses so far. 7Other police officers said they are trying to find exactly when and where the crowd surge started and how it got worse. They said a team of police officers searched the Itaewon area on Monday. 8"The government will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and do its best to make necessary improvements of systems to prevent a similar accident," South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at a government meeting about the disaster. 9Some witnesses said the surge was caused by people in the upper part of the road pushing others farther down the hill. 10Local media also questioned an apparent lack of safety preparations for the large crowd expected to gather in Itaewon. Seoul police deployed 137 officers to control the large crowd. 11As of Monday morning, the government said it had identified 153 of the 154 dead. It said 149 other people are injured, 33 of them seriously. 12Bridge collapse in India 13The bridge that collapsed Sunday in the Indian town of Morbi, Gujarat state, was 143 years old. Officials are still searching for possible victims. Police said Monday they had arrested nine people in connection with the event. 14The bridge was built by the British in the late 1800s and was called an "engineering marvel." It had been closed for repair work for several months earlier this year. It reopened four days before the collapse. 15Indian Inspector-General Ashok Yadav said police have formed a special investigative team. He said it had arrested employees of the bridge's operator, Oreva Group. 16"We won't let the guilty get away, we won't spare anyone," Yadav said. 17Gujarat authorities opened a case against Oreva for suspected culpable homicide, attempted culpable homicide and other violations. 18The company had reopened the bridge, which crosses a wide part of the Machchhu river, on October 26. That is the first day of the Gujarati New Year, which falls during the Hindu festival season. The newly reopened bridge drew hundreds of people. 19A Morbi city official, told the Indian Express newspaper the company had reopened the bridge without first getting a "fitness certificate." That claim could not be independently confirmed. 20Officials said the structure collapsed under the weight of hundreds of people. Security camera videos showed the bridge shaking violently and people trying to hold on to its cables. Then the walkway gave way and crashed into the river. 21State minister Harsh Sanghvi told reporters that 133 people were confirmed dead and many others were admitted to hospitals in serious condition. Rescue teams worked overnight to search for survivors. 22It was not clear exactly how many people were on the bridge when it collapsed. But survivors said it was so crowded that people were unable to quickly move to safety when its cables began to break. 23A Gujarat state government election is expected in coming months. Opposition parties have demanded an investigation into the collapse. 24Asia has seen three major disasters involving large crowds in a month. 25In Indonesia, 132 people were killed after police fired tear gas at a crowd during a soccer match October 1. It caused a surge as people tried to flee. 26I'm Dan Novak. 27Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 28______________________________________________________________________ 29Words in This Story 30surge - n. a sudden movement of many people 31alley - n. a narrow street or passage between buildings 32chaos - n. complete confusion and disorder 33marvel - n. a wonderful or marvelous person or thing 34culpable - adj. deserving blame 35festival - n. a special time or event when people gather to celebrate something 36certificate - n. a document that is official proof that something has happened 37cable - n. a thick, strong rope made of wires that are twisted together