Prayers for South Korea as multiple deaths reported after horrific accident at '4Minute' concert [photos]

Greg P. | 9:56 AM on October 17, 2014

Tragic news out of South Korea, via NBC News:

Sixteen people watching an outdoor pop concert in South Korea fell 20 meters to their deaths Friday when a ventilation grate they were standing on collapsed, officials said. Photos of the scene in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, showed a deep concrete shaft under the broken grate. A Seongnam official announced the deaths during a televised briefing and said that 11 others were seriously injured. The official didn’t provide his name and didn’t take questions from reporters. Fire officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of office rules, earlier said that the victims were standing on the grate while watching an outdoor performance by girls’ band 4Minute, which is popular across Asia.

And these photos from the scene are absolutley terrifying:

MORE: Victims fell about 65 feet when a ventilation grate collapsed during concert, South Korea officials say: http://t.co/zFKjgtUDLQ

— The Associated Press (@AP) October 17, 2014

Fifteen feared dead after ventilation grate collapses during pop concert in South Korea http://t.co/lNpVXicicg pic.twitter.com/11LaQlHmNA

— NBC News (@NBCNews) October 17, 2014

14 feared dead in collapse at S. Korea pop concert #SouthKorea http://t.co/8trTXg77cg pic.twitter.com/VmlFxlBp6M

— Gulf-Times (@GulfTimes_QATAR) October 17, 2014

Exit question: Why were they allowed to stand on this grate in the first place? Promoters and security at the concert will be facing some tough questions in the coming days because this looks like something that didn’t have to happen.