The first emergency call about trouble at Itaewon came in the early evening of 29 October. “It’s so chilling right now,” the woman said, as she described a chaotic scene on the narrow streets of the Seoul nightlife district. In total, there were 11 calls made to South Korea’s 112 emergency police hotline begging them to control the crowds gathering for Halloween before the fatal crush happened. As calls for accountability have mounted, South Korean police have launched an investigation. Officers on Wednesday raided the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, as well as police stations, fire stations and emergency call sites, to look into whether officers who took the calls fulfilled their duty and took proper measures. Police have also taken the unusual step of releasing transcripts of the calls. From anxious warnings to screams of terror, the transcripts have painted a horrifying picture of how the situation escalated. At least 156 people were killed in the crush – another 172 were injured, 33 seriously.(BBC)…[+]