South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a national mourning period over a deadly stampede that happened during Halloween festivities in Seoul.
According to the Yonhap news agency, the president said it was “so miserable” to see such a disaster happen in the heart of the city.
Authorities are still investigating the exact cause of the incident, but footage from the scene shows dense crowds of people leaving a bustling nightlife area after the crush killed over 140 people.
U.S. President Joe Biden offered his condolences after the tragedy, calling it “tragic.”
Emergency services were called to the site in Itaewon around 1:30 A.M. local time after reports of a “major accident” involving multiple casualties, Seoul’s Metropolitan Police Agency said in a statement obtained by ABC News.
When authorities arrived at the club entrance around 1:40 a.m., they found people “trampled to death,” the police agency said, adding that most of those who died were in their 20s and 30s.
In all, 149 people were killed and 16 others injured, officials said Sunday afternoon local time.
The tragedy unfolded as revelers were trying to leave the club after celebrating Halloween.
Some used their phones as flashlights while evacuating from the site amid screams and confusion, video footage showed.
The investigation into what caused the stampede is still ongoing, but authorities believe that it was started when someone sprayed soju—a Korean rice liquor—inside the club.
Soju is known to be flammable, and investigators found an empty soju bottle at the scene of the stampede, officials told Yonhap News Agency.
Ahron Young is an award winning journalist who has covered major news events around the world. Ahron is the Managing Editor and Founder of TICKER NEWS.
Rare earths elements are responsible for some of the most important materials involved in electric vehicle production, battery making, renewable energy systems and technology manufacturing.
Last year, President Joe Biden said he wanted to make rare earths an important domestic policy initiative and he signed an executive order to review gaps in the domestic supply chains for rare earths, medical devices, chips, and other key resources.
The Department of Energy announced a $30 million initiative to tap into researching and securing the U.S. domestic supply chain for rare earths and other important minerals in battery-making production.
But at the same time, President Biden also blocked the mining of rare earth minerals on more than 225,000 acres of federal land for more than 20 years.
Is it possible for the U.S. to change course and again have a seat at the table in producing rare earths elements?
To discuss further, Luisa Moreno the President of the Defense Metals Corp. joined us.
#rareearthelements #rareminerals #China #UnitedStates #Veronicadudo #luisamoreno
Rare earths elements are needed to make iPhones, advanced batteries, military night-vision goggles and MRI machines. According to the U.S. Genealogical Survey, China was responsible for 80% of rare earths imports in 2019.
Critical earth minerals are a necessity for humans around the world.
They are essential to our modern-day lifestyles and critical in the creation of things such as iPhones, electric vehicles, and advanced precision weapons.
While the United States is dependent on other countries for many minerals, there is no country that America is more dependent on than China. And all these minerals come at a price.
Rare earths elements are needed to make everything from the technology we use every day like smart refrigerators and advanced batteries to night-vision goggles used by the military to MRI machines which are crucial to the medical field.
Many in the government, business, and science sectors have long raised concerns about how to ensure the West’s continued supply of these critical earth minerals.
The United States was once a dominant player in the rare earths supply chain, but for decades, that global market has been dominated by China.
According to the U.S. Genealogical Survey, China was responsible for 80% of rare earths imports in 2019.
Last year, the Biden administration even touted a new plan for the United States to rival China and end their decades-long dominance of rare earth metals market.
So, how reliant is the West on Chinese rare earth exports?
Luisa Moreno the President of the Defense Metals Corp joined us to discuss. #rareearthelements #china #unitedstates #greenagenda #veronicadudo #luisamoreno #trade