What We’re Reading: South Korea in shock, bridge collapse in India

AP

A woman places flowers to pay tribute for victims near the scene of a deadly accident in Seoul, South Korea, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2022, following Saturday night’s Halloween festivities. A mass of mostly young people among tens of thousands who gathered to celebrate Halloween in Seoul became trapped and crushed as the crowd surged into a narrow alley, killing dozens of people and injuring dozens of others in South Korea’s worst disaster in years. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

By Matt Salotti, Staff Writer
Published Oct 30, 2022

South Korea party surge leaves Seoul in shock

The city of Seoul, South Korea is still mourning the deaths of at least 154 people at a Halloween party on Saturday night. 133 others have been injured, according to Politico. In the Itaewon of Seoul, the surge of people from the party caused a large number of people into a narrow alley way in what was the country’s first Halloween since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. While causes of the deadly crush are still unknown, eyewitnesses say that people fell on top of one another like “dominoes” falling over. Kim Mi-Sung, who works in Itaewon, said that, “I still can’t believe that happened. It was like hell.” Kim performed CPR on at least 10 people, 9 of whom who were pronounced dead at the scene. Many people who were receiving CPR were bleeding from either their mouth or nose. Of the 133 that were injured, 37 are still in critical condition. With it still possible that the death toll could rise, currently 97 female and 56 male victims have been confirmed. At least two of the deceased were U.S. Citizens.

Bridge collapse in India kills citizens

Rescuers on boats search in the Machchu river next to a cable bridge that collapsed in Morbi district, western Gujarat state, India, Sunday, Oct.30, 2022. Dozens are feared dead and several are injured in the accident. (AP Photo/Rajesh Ambaliya)
According to BBC, Indian police arrest 9 after Morbi bridge collapse kills at least 141 in the state of Gujarat in western India on Sunday afternoon. Inspector-General Ashok Yadav announced the arrests include managerial staff, ticketing clerks, and three security guards. Authorities continue to investigate the bridge collapse that came less than a week after it reopened following repairs. Officials opened a case against the bridge operator, Oreva Group, for suspected culpable homicide, attempted culpable homicide, and other violations. Hundreds of people were sent into the River Macchu after the bridge collapsed at around 6:40 p.m. local time. It is estimated that there were between 400 and 500 people on the bridge at the time that it gave way. State Minister Brijesh Merja has said that more than 177 people have been rescued. The bridge, which is locally known at Julto Pool, was built during the 19th century while the British ruled India. Prateek Vasava was at the bridge at the time of collapse and was able to successfully swim to shore. Vasava said there were several children on the bridge. “I wanted to pull some of them along with me but they had drowned or got swept away,” said Vasava.

Snake returns to Swedish zoo

The Skansen Aquarium’s entrance, part of the zoo on Djurgarden island, where a deadly snake escaped on Saturday via a light fixture in the ceiling of its glass enclosure, in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday Oct. 24, 2022.  (Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency via AP)
A king cobra snake has returned back to its home, by itself, more than a week after it has mysteriously disappeared, according to ABC News. The snake, which is seven feet long and venomous, has the official name of Sir Hiss. He has been nicknamed “Houdini” after his escape, said CEO Jonas Wahlstrom. The snake escaped on Oct. 22 after it was able to maneuver its way through a light fixture in the ceiling of its enclosure. The snake terrarium is located in the aquarium, a part of the zoo, at Skansen open-air museum and park in Stockholm. The zoo was able to locate the snake using x-ray machines. The snake was located in between two walls. Holes were drilled into the wall as park operators tried to capture the snake, but the snake vanished from the x-ray view. Fortunately, the snake never left the building and crawled back into its enclosure. “It was too stressful for Houdini with all the holes in the walls, so he wanted to go home again,” Wahlstrom said. Park officials said the snake would not have survived very long outside due to the cold weather.

Four dead in Bronx house fire, NYPD says

Early Sunday morning, three children and one adult were killed in fire at a Bronx home, according to CNN. The four victims include 10-year-old Kalheed Waleed Ban Saleh, 12-year-old Mohamed Waleed Ahmed, 10-month-old Barah Saleh and 22-year-old Ahmed Saleh, the FDNY said. Firefighters immediately began removing victims from the building when they arrived the scene shortly after 6 a.m. local time. At the scene, two boys, ages 10 and 12 were pronounced dead. A 22-year-old man and the baby were taken to a nearby hospital where they were both declared dead, according to the FDNY. Among those injured in critical condition were a 21-year-old woman and a 41-year-old man. Multiple firefighters suffered minor injuries, according to the FDNY. FDNY assistant chief, Kevin Brennan called the blaze a “very serious fire.” The fire registered as a second-alarm fire due to the large amount of fire on the first and second floor meaning that responses of over 100 firefighters and EMS personnel was necessary. This fire comes just 7 months after an apartment building fire left 17 people dead which prompted an executive order from New York Mayor Eric Adams on fire safety.