Death toll on the rise after the collapse of Korean auditorium
(VOVworld) - At least nine people are reported dead, 78 injured, and 17 others remain trapped after an auditorium collapsed Monday at “Mauna Ocean” resort in the South Korean city of Gyeongju.
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| The scene of the collapse in Gyeongju, South Korea (Photo:Reuters) |
The tragedy occurred while more than 700 students from Busan University of Foreign Studies were attending a party to welcome new freshmen. Heavy snow piling up on the auditorium’s roof appears to be the cause of the collapse. Heavy snow continues, causing difficulty for rescue workers and restricting the movement of rescue vehicles. Fifteen rescue teams including soldiers stationed in the locality have been mobilized. Prime Minister Chong Hong-Jun urged the rescue teams to give their maximum effort.
Busan University of Foreign Studies offers multi discipline studies but is mainly known for cultural and foreign studies, with both an ASEAN and a Vietnamese department. So far no Vietnamese students have been reported to be victims of the accident.