A ventilation grate constructed by an unlicensed supplier was responsible for the deadly accident at an outdoor pop concert in a city southeast of Seoul in October, police said Thursday.
A total of 16 people plunged to their deaths during the concert in Seongnam on Oct. 17 as the grate over the ventilation shaft they were standing on to get a better view gave way under their weight.
Eleven others were seriously injured.
The ventilation facility was constructed by the subcontractor without a proper license, investigators at the Gyeonggi Provincial Police Agency in Suwon, a city just south of Seongnam, said.
Police earlier confirmed that the facility was not constructed tightly enough to withstand pressure after one of the two parts supporting the ventilation grate broke and the welded part snapped.
The agency said it has booked 17 people, including concert organizers and employees of the company that installed the ventilation grate, for investigation.
Police also concluded that the Gyeonggi provincial government and Seongnam city are not liable for the tragedy as the Internet-based business newspaper Edaily and the Gyeonggi Institute of Science and Technology Promotion were the main sponsors of the event.
“The actual co-sponsors of the event were Edaily and the Gyeonggi Institute of Science and Technology Promotion,” said a police officer, adding that the agency will refer the 17 people to the prosecution.
Some 700 people attended the concert where various South Korean musicians, including girl group 4Minute, performed. (Yonhap)
