S Korea Halloween deaths: Who were the US victims in South Korea?
On Monday, forensics experts looked into a debris-filled alley in South Korea as speculation raged as to why 154 people perished in the nation’s deadliest devastating tragedy.
Following the Saturday crowd surge that happened as tens of thousands of largely young Halloween revelers partied in the popular nightlife district of Itaewon, President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a weeklong national mourning period.
In addition to many companies canceling Halloween-themed festivities, mourners bent their heads and put flowers at one of the government’s special memorial sites that opened on Monday in Seoul and other cities.
On Monday, all but one of the victims had been identified by the South Korean government. However, officials warned that the death toll could rise because at least 30 of the 149 injured people were in critical condition.
Police announced the creation of a task team of 475 members to look into the tragedy. The State Department confirmed to USA TODAY that 26 foreign nationals, including two Americans, were among the fatalities.
Some are unsure if the 137 officers sent by the police to keep the peace during the festivities on Saturday were sufficient.
What caused the audience to swell?
The reason for the sudden increase in people was still being looked into on Monday. Witnesses described the situation as terrifying.
The event took place in Itaewon, a hilly section of Seoul that has been increasingly well-known among younger South Koreans in recent years for its Halloween-themed parties.
The gathering was one of the biggest in the city since the COVID-19 limitations were loosened in South Korea in 2022 and the biggest Halloween celebration there since the outbreak.
According to survivors, costumed individuals were shoved down and knocked over one another while moving in a constrained downhill alley.
“I still find it hard to believe what has occurred. Kim Mi Sung, who provided CPR on several people at the scene, described it as being like hell.
How are police looking into the tragedy?
The police task team was tasked with investigating the surge’s cause as National Forensic Service investigators searched the scene of the incident Monday for clues. With the help of social media videos and evidence from nearby security cameras, investigators put the events of the night together.
Police have spoken with more than 40 witnesses and survivors said to senior police officer Nam Gu-Jun.
In a discussion about the disaster, South Korea’s Prime Minister, Han Duck-soo, stated, “The government will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and do its utmost to make required changes to systems to prevent a similar mishap from repeating.”
Who were the US victims in South Korea?
The number of Americans killed in the crowd surge remained at two on Monday, while the State Department reported that three Americans were hurt.
The two Americans killed were 20-year-old college students: Steven Blesi, a major in international commerce at Kennesaw State University, and Anne Gieske, a junior in nursing at the University of Kentucky. The students’ deaths were confirmed by both universities via Twitter.
Through the U.S. government’s office, Gieske’s parents conveyed their anguish and grief at their daughter’s passing. Brad Wenstrup, a congressman from Ohio, was Gieske’s uncle.
She was a “bright light loved by many,” according to a statement from her family.
According to university president Eli Capilouto, Gieske was studying overseas with two other University of Kentucky students who have been positively identified as safe.
