Sixteen dead in collapse of ventilation grate at concert

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — There’s been a deadly accident at a South Korean pop concert. Officials say 16 people fell more than 50 feet to their deaths when a ventilation grate they were standing on collapsed. Eleven others were seriously hurt.

Fire officials say the victims were standing on the grate while watching an outdoor performance by the girls’ band 4Minute, which is popular across Asia. According to a South Korean news agency, about 700 people had gathered to watch the concert.

Photos of the scene showed a deep concrete shaft under the broken gate.

A video recorded by someone at the concert shows the band continuing to dance for a while in front of a crowd that appeared to be unaware of the accident. Meanwhile, dozens of people were shown standing next to the ventilation grate, gazing into the dark, gaping hole.

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139-c-15-(Tong-hyung Kim (TONG’ hye-ong), AP correspondent)-“to 15 meters”-AP correspondent Tong-hyung Kim reports investigators are looking into what went wrong. (17 Oct 2014)

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APPHOTO SEL805: Rescue workers carry an injured person on a stretcher after a ventilation grate was collapsed at an outdoor theater in Seongnam, south of Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 17, 2014. Fourteen people were feared dead Friday after the ventilation grate collapsed during a concert by popular girls’ band 4Minute, officials said. (AP Photo/Yonhap, Shin Young-geun) KOREA OUT (17 Oct 2014)

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APPHOTO SEL804: Rescue workers stand around a collapsed ventilation grate at an outdoor theater in Seongnam, south of Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Oct. 17, 2014. Fourteen people were feared dead Friday after the ventilation grate collapsed during a concert by popular girls’ band 4Minute, officials said. (AP Photo/Yonhap, Shin Young-geun) KOREA OUT (17 Oct 2014)

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Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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