South Korea probes Halloween crowd surge as nation mourns

By HYUNG-JIN KIM
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean police are investigating what caused a crowd surge that killed more than 150 people during Halloween festivities in Seoul over the weekend. It was the country’s worst disaster in years. Police officers are analyzing video taken by about 50 security cameras in the Itaewon area and video clips posted on social media. They are also interviewing witnesses to find out exactly when and where the crowd surge started and how it developed. The dead included about 26 foreign nationals. Tens of thousands of people including the president and other top officials have visited special memorial sites, placed white flowers and bowed deeply to honor the dead.