At Least 16 Die in K-Pop Concert Tragedy

Published Oct 17, 2014

Tragedy has struck the South Korean music world, as at least 16 people have died at a concert by the K-pop group 4Minute According to the Associated Press , the fans were standing on a ventilation grate at an outdoor show in Seongnam, in the outskirts of Seoul. When the grate gave way, they fell 20 metres into a deep concrete shaft. (Other reports say that the shaft was actually 10 metres deep.) According to an official, 11 more people were seriously injured.The grate they were on was apparently a few metres wide, and it rose above the rest of the crowd, so spectators are said to have climbed up to get a better view.A local fire official was quoted by the BBC as saying, "Twelve people were killed at the scene, two others died while they were being rushed to the hospital. Others are assumed to have passed away while receiving medical treatment."There were approximately 700 people at the concert, according to reports. Many of them were said to be female students, though the identities of the deceased have not been released.It seems that the band and many of the spectators weren't initially aware of the accident, so the concert carried on temporarily after the grate collapsed.This follows the recent ferry disaster in South Korea that left more than 300 people dead or missing.You can see a Korean news report concerning the concert tragedy below.