Key facts
- About 10 percent of the deaths in the 2022 Itaewon crowd crush may have been caused by factors other than suffocation.
- The special investigation committee's analysis suggests that 15 victims did not appear to have died from suffocation.
- These victims may have succumbed to intra-abdominal bleeding or other syndromes caused by pressure on internal organs.
- The committee indicated that more lives could have been saved with immediate and active rescue efforts.
- The findings were based on external examinations, not autopsies, due to the challenges in determining exact causes of death.
SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) -- Approximately 10 percent of the more than 100 individuals who died in the 2022 crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district may have succumbed to causes other than suffocation, according to a special investigation committee.
The committee's analysis, released Tuesday, suggests that more lives could have been saved if more active rescue efforts had been undertaken immediately following the accident on Oct. 29, 2022.
During Halloween festivities, crowds surged into a narrow alley, resulting in 159 deaths. A medical review conducted by the committee indicated that 15 victims did not appear to have died from suffocation, with their exact causes of death remaining unidentifiable. These individuals may have died from intra-abdominal bleeding or other syndromes resulting from pressure on their muscles or internal organs.
Forensic pathologist Kim Moon-young explained that while suffocation often leads to immediate death, victims who died from other causes could have potentially survived for several hours or even days with prompt rescue interventions. She emphasized that the findings underscore the importance of proactive rescue efforts, even when initial responses are delayed.
Kim noted that these conclusions were drawn from external examinations rather than autopsies, acknowledging the inherent difficulties in precisely determining the exact causes and timings of the victims' deaths.