A special police investigative team looking into the Itaewon disaster announced its findings on Friday, concluding its probe after 74 days.

The team said in a briefing that compression asphyxia from crowd pressure is  the cause of the tragedy on October 29, which ultimately claimed 159 lives and injured around 200 others.

The team added that it arrested six figures, including former Yongsan Police Station chief Lee Im-jae and Yongsan District Office head Park Hee-young, and handed them over to the prosecution.

Meanwhile, the team cleared interior and safety minister Lee Sang-min, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon and National Police Agency Commissioner General Yoon Hee-keun of suspicion, saying they had no substantial duty of care related to the risk of a crowd surge in a specific area.