(LEAD) Interior minister apologizes to people over Halloween crowd crush

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SEOUL, Nov. 1 (Yonhap) -- Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min apologized Tuesday over the Halloween crowd crush that killed at least 156 people.

The apology came amid growing media scrutiny that police and other government agencies failed to enforce crowd control in Itaewon, the site of the tragedy, despite anticipation that a huge crowd of people would flock to the area last Saturday.

"I deeply apologize to the people that the recent accident occurred despite the state bearing infinite responsibility for the people's safety," Lee told a parliamentary session.

The tragedy, South Korea's deadliest disaster in eight years, happened Saturday night when a massive crowd of Halloween partygoers packed a narrow 3.2-meter-wide alley in Seoul's entertainment district of Itaewon.

Lee, who bowed his head before lawmakers and cameras, pledged that the government will make utmost efforts to prevent similar incidents from happening.

Lee has been under fire for his remarks that the deadly crowd crush would not have been avoidable even if police officers and firefighters had been deployed to the area in advance.

During a media briefing Sunday, Lee also said the volume of the crowd at the scene was "as usual."

Lee also voiced his "deep regrets" over the remarks, saying he "didn't carefully look into the minds of the bereaved families who lost their precious family members."

kdh@yna.co.kr
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