Bangkok tightens tourism safety after Seoul Halloween crush kills 153
City Hall has ordered all 50 Bangkok district offices to tighten safety measures to prevent a repeat of Saturday’s deadly stampede in South Korea.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) said it has prepared a plan to deal with emergencies ahead of the tourism high season, when Thailand is forecast to receive over 2 million foreign visitors per month.
BMA spokesperson Aekwaranyoo Amrapal said officials in tourist-crowded Bangkok entertainment districts such as Khaosan Road, Ekkamai and Thonglor have been ordered to monitor safety provisions.
"District offices, police and volunteers are being deployed to create awareness of safety among building owners and users and ensure they obey safety rules," he explained.
"Bangkok's disaster prevention and mitigation department has also instructed entertainment venues to impose measures to prevent emergencies, especially fire."
Entertainment venues have been told to ensure they have alarms, fire extinguishers and fire escape routes, and that customers are aware of safety measures, he said.
Meanwhile, Bangkok's city law officers are partnering with police and volunteers to help with crowd control and prevent crime such as theft and deception.
"In addition, first-responders, ambulances and life-saving tools have been prepared to tackle unexpected situations," he added.
Aekwaranyoo also expressed condolences to families of victims of the stampede in Seoul's Itaewon district.
A Thai woman was among 153 killed in the Halloween crush in Seoul on Saturday night, the Royal Thai Embassy in South Korea reported on Sunday.
South Korea's fire department told AFP news agency that 19 of the victims were foreigners. Yonhap news agency added that nationals from Iran, Uzbekistan, China and Norway were among the dead.
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