By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
At least four mountain climbers were killed and 30 others injured as of 11:00 p.m. Monday in a mountain stampede during a traditional grass-burning event in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province.
A fire set by municipal officials on a pampas grass field on top of Mount Hwawang flared out of control due to an unexpected wind, forcing onlookers to jump off a cliff, witnesses said.
Casualties are expected to rise as more than 15,000 people participated in the event, held every three years to mark the first full moon of the Lunar New Year.
Organizers set up a 50-meter-wide block to protect the spectators from the fire, but the wind was so strong that they did not have enough time to flee the scene, police said.
The victims were watching the fire beside a cliff when the fire changed the direction. Of the injured, some were seriously burned and suffocated by smoke, while the others had broken legs.
The injured were immediately taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Some of them are in serious condition, police said.
Mt. Hwawang means ``big fire'' mountain in Korean. The grass-burning event has traditionally been held to wish for good luck and a good harvest. It originated from an old tale about the force of fire preventing bad luck.