CBS News
Manslaughter charges sought over Halloween crowd crush that killed almost 160 in Seoul
Seoul, South Korea — South Korean police are seeking criminal charges including involuntary manslaughter and negligence against 23 officials, about half of them law enforcement officers, for a lack of safety measures they said was responsible for a Halloween crowd surge that killed nearly 160 people, including at least two Americans, both college students.
Despite anticipating a weekend crowd of more than 100,000, Seoul police had assigned 137 officers to the capital’s nightlife district of Itaewon on the day of the crush. Those officers were focused on monitoring narcotics use and violent crimes, which experts say left few resources for pedestrian safety.
Son Je-han, who headed the National Police Agency’s special investigation into the incident, said Friday his team will now send the case to prosecutors. Those recommended for indictment include Park Hee-young, who is mayor of Seoul’s Yongsan district, and the district’s former police chief Lee Im-jae – two of six who have been arrested.
Lee has also been accused of falsifying a police report to disguise his late arrival at the scene. Two other police officials have been arrested over suspicions they attempted to destroy computer files and other potential evidence tied to the incident.
Lee Jin-man / AP
The results of the 74-day police investigation announced by Son mostly confirmed what was already clear – that police and public officials in Yongsan failed to employ meaningful crowd control measures for the expected numbers of Halloween revelers and essentially ignored pedestrian calls placed to police hotlines that warned of a swelling crowd hours before the surge turned deadly on Oct. 28.
Officials also botched their response once people began getting toppled over and crushed in a narrow alley clogged with partygoers near Hamilton Hotel around 10 p.m., failing to establish effective control of the scene and enable rescue workers to reach the injured in time, Son said.
“(Their) inaccurate judgement of the situation, the slow distribution of information about the situation, poor cooperation between related institutions and delays in rescue operations were among the overlapping failures that caused the high number of casualties,” Son said at a news conference in Seoul.
Son said his team questioned nearly 540 people and collected 14,000 pieces of evidence from central and municipal government offices and transportation authorities. He said police investigators studied more than 180 video files recorded on security cameras or taken by journalists and pedestrians, and jointly inspected the scene with forensic experts to analyze the density of the crowd.
Kim Jae-Hwan / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images
Police said the crowd packing the corridor-like alley between the hotel and a dense row of storefronts grew into an unstoppable wave around 9 p.m., with people unable to dictate their movement once they got swept in. At around 10:15 p.m., people began falling and toppling on one another like dominos, leading to the tragedy that resulted in 158 deaths and 196 injuries.
Analysis of security camera footage and simulations by the National Forensic Service indicate the crowd density at the alley was around eight people per square yard at around 10:15 p.m. The density grew to eight to nine people occupying the same unit of space as of 10:20 p.m. and around nine to 11 people as of 10:25 p.m., police said.
Paramedics struggled to reach the scene because the area was so densely packed. Those who arrived were so overwhelmed by the large number of people lying motionless on the ground that they asked pedestrians to help them perform CPR. Most of the deaths were caused by suffocation or brain damage, police said.
It’s unclear whether the results of the police investigation would be enough to calm the public’s anger and demands for government accountability as the country continues to cope with its worst disaster in nearly a decade.
Opposition lawmakers and some relatives of the victims have demanded investigations into more high-profile figures, such as Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min and National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun, who have faced calls to resign.
However, Son said the special investigation team will close its probes on the Interior and Safety Ministry, the National Police Agency, and the Seoul Metropolitan Government, saying it was difficult to establish their direct responsibility.
Some experts have called the crush in Itaewon a “manmade disaster” that could have been prevented with fairly simple steps, such as employing more police and public workers to monitor bottleneck points, enforcing one-way walk lanes and blocking narrow pathways or temporarily closing Itaewon’s subway station to prevent large numbers of people moving in the same direction.
The Americans who lost their lives were University of Kentucky student Anne Gieske and Kennesaw State University student Steven Blesi, their schools said in statements.
Gieske was a nursing student in her junior year, University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto said in a letter to the community. Gieske was from Northern Kentucky and had been studying abroad in South Korea for the semester, Capilouto said.
CBS Lexington affiliate WKYT-TV reported that Gieske was a member of her school’s Korean Language and Culture Club.
Blesi was an international business major at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, and was one of 11 students studying in South Korea as part of a study abroad program, the school said.
CBS News
Former anti-drugs chief known as “Macho” extradited from Bolivia nearly 3 years after U.S. offered $5 million reward
Bolivia’s former anti-narcotics chief was extradited to the United States on Thursday to face federal drug trafficking charges in a New York court.
Authorities said that Maximiliano Dávila, who served as anti-narcotics chief in the final months of Evo Morales ‘ 2006-2019 administration, helped facilitate planeload shipments of cocaine to the United States. According to the U.S. Justice Department, Dávila exploited his position “to secure access to Bolivian airfields for cocaine transport and to arrange for members of Bolivian law enforcement under his command—including individuals armed with machineguns—to provide protection for those drug loads.”
Dávila — who authorities say is also known as “Macho” — boarded a private jet sent from the U.S. specifically for his extradition.
On Feb. 2, 2022, the U.S. State Department announced a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to Dávila’s conviction. He is charged with conspiring to provide top level protection for cocaine shipments to the U.S. as well as related weapons charges involving the possession of machine guns. According to the State Department, Dávila “allegedly used his position to safeguard aircraft used to transport cocaine to third countries, for subsequent distribution in the United States.”
Juan Karita / AP
In late November, Bolivia’s Supreme Court approved Dávila’s immediate extradition to the U.S. He has denied any wrongdoing.
Morales expelled the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration from Bolivia in 2008, accusing it of plotting to overthrow his government at a time rising commodity prices and a wave of leftist politics throughout South America were challenging longstanding U.S. influence in the region. Meanwhile, the two countries haven’t exchanged ambassadors in more than 15 years.
The drug investigation that led to the charges against Dávila was started by the DEA’s Special Operations Division in 2017, according to court records.
As part of the probe, criminal informants working under the DEA’s direction recorded conversations in which a co-defendant of Dávila bragged of having access to an MD-11 military cargo plane to transport 60 tons of cocaine into the U.S.
The co-defendant, Percy Vasquez-Drew, said that “he and other traffickers had been able to operate with impunity in Bolivia because the DEA and the CIA had been kicked out” and remaining anti-drug officials in the country were easily bribed, prosecutors said in court filings.
Vasquez-Drew was later arrested in Panama on a U.S. warrant. He pleaded guilty in 2020 to a single count of conspiring to smuggle more than 450 kilograms of narcotics into the U.S. Earlier this year, his sentence was reduced to 100 months in federal prison.
Bolivia is the world’s third-largest producer of cocaine.
It’s unclear how close Dávila is to Morales, a former coca grower. But the two appeared together in an October 2019 photograph celebrating Morales’ birthday standing next to several cakes decorated with coca leaves. Also in the picture was the former head of Bolivia’s national police.
While the DEA has arrested numerous Bolivian drug traffickers over the years, including one of Dávila’s predecessors, Morales himself has never been accused of drug trafficking. He has vociferously denounced the U.S.-led drug war in Latin America and defended traditional uses of coca – the raw ingredient of cocaine.
CBS News
December’s Cold Moon is the last full moon of 2024. Here’s when it peaks and how it got its name.
Get ready for the final full moon of 2024: the Cold Moon.
December’s full moon will reach peak illumination at 4:02 a.m. EST on Sunday Dec. 15, but it will appear full for several days. The Old Farmer’s Almanac details specific moonrise times for different ZIP codes across the U.S.
Why is the December full moon called the Cold Moon?
December’s full moon is called the Cold Moon, according to the Old Farmer’s Almanac. The name was chosen because of how cold it usually is during December’s full moon.
The moon also has several other nicknames, including the Long Night Moon, a name with Mohican origins, according to the Farmer’s Almanac. The name is because December’s full moon happens on one of the longest nights of the year.
Other names for December’s moon include the Drift Clearing Moon, the Frost Exploding Trees Moon, the Moon of the Popping Trees, Hoar Frost Moon, Snow Moon and Winter Maker Moon, according to the almanac.
How long will December’s moon be full?
While the moon reaches peak illumination early on Dec. 15, it will appear full for several days. Around 95% of the moon’s nearside will be illuminated by the sun on Friday, Dec. 13, according to NASA. On Dec. 14, 99% of the moon’s nearside will be illuminated, with 100% illuminated on Dec. 15. On Dec. 16, 98% of the moon will still be illuminated.
This month, NASA also suggests keeping an eye out for Jupiter, sitting between the nearly full moon and Aldebaran, the brightest star in the Taurus constellation, on Dec. 14.
NASA says you won’t need binoculars or a telescope to enjoy the view of the Cold Moon. Local forecasts have detailed information on how clear the night sky will be in different locations where people are keeping an eye out for the moon.
The first full moon of 2025 will be on Monday, Jan. 13. It’s known as the Wolf Moon.
The Geminids, considered one of the best and most reliable meteor showers of the year, is underway and is set to peak Friday night into early Saturday.
The shower will peak under a nearly full moon, which could make spotting the cosmic show a challenge. The light from the moon will wash out the fainter meteors during the peak, according to NASA.
“Still, the Geminids are known for bright meteors, and it’s common to spot their shooting stars up to a week before the peak,” according to NASA. “If you’re up before dawn that week, it’s worth looking up, just in case you spot a speck of dust from space streaking through the morning sky.”
When and where you can see the Geminids
Light from the nearly full moon will cut the visible rates for the Geminids by 50-75% during the peak this year, said Bill Cooke, lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office. The brightest meteors will still be visible, according to NASA.
With the bright moon on peak night, an observer in the U.S. may see around 15 Geminids an hour, Cooke said.
“In short, 2024 is a bad year for Geminid watching — December 2025 will be much better,” Cooke said.
The Geminid meteor shower is visible around the world and throughout the night sky. For optimal viewing conditions, head somewhere far away from city and street lights, then lie down flat on your back with your feet pointed south. Give your eyes half an hour to adjust to the dark.
NASA advises bringing a sleeping bag or blanket to help with the cold while waiting for the Geminids.
The shower usually starts around 9 or 10 p.m., with the meteors best viewed at night or in the pre-dawn hours.
What is a meteor shower?
Meteors are space rocks that enter Earth’s atmosphere and heat up as they fall toward Earth, according to NASA. As they streak through the sky, glowing, hot air around the meteors gives the meteors the appearance of shooting stars. During meteor showers, many meteors travel through Earth’s atmosphere over a short period.
Most meteors burn up in space. The few that survive the trip and reach the ground and considered meteorites.
What makes the Geminids different from other meteor showers?
The Geminids are one of the strongest meteor showers of the year, with a rate of 120 meteors an hour under perfect conditions, according to NASA.
While most meteor showers originate from comets, the Geminids actually come from an asteroid called 3200 Phaethon. NASA researchers say the asteroid acts like a “weird” comet.
And while NASA says most meteors appear to be colorless or white, the Geminids are usually yellow in color.
The annual Geminids meteor shower first appeared in the mid-1800s.
Former anti-drugs chief known as “Macho” extradited from Bolivia nearly 3 years after U.S. offered $5 million reward
December’s Cold Moon is the last full moon of 2024. Here’s when it peaks and how it got its name.
The Geminid meteor showers peak tonight. Here’s when and where they’ll be visible
Former anti-drugs chief known as “Macho” extradited from Bolivia nearly 3 years after U.S. offered $5 million reward
December’s Cold Moon is the last full moon of 2024. Here’s when it peaks and how it got its name.
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