Two American students named as victims of South Korea stampede crush that killed 153 

Two American students who had been studying abroad have been named as victims of the horrific stampede that happened in South Korea on Saturday evening in the course of a Halloween celebration.  

Anne Gieske, 20, who just celebrated her birthday on Friday, was  a junior who attended the University of Kentucky’s nursing plan, was killed all through the crush, officials verified. 

Several hours soon after her tragic passing was confirmed, the relatives of Steven Blesi, also 20, said that that they experienced been notified that he was also amid the 156 who perished. He was a junior at Kennesaw State College in Ga. 

Both Gieske and Blesi ended up taking element in examine overseas plans at their respective educational facilities.  

The incident took place as the crowd at the Halloween occasion grew to become unruly and surged, which activated a fatal stampede. 

Around 100,000 men and women have been present for the South Korean party.  

Anne Gieske, a junior at the University of Kentucky, was killed in the stampede Saturday night in South Korea

Reps from the College of Kentucky, two other pupils had been also finding out abroad in South Korea. Equally other students have been accounted for. 

The University’s President. Eli Capilouto, verified Sunday that the two other folks are safe and sound at this time. 

‘We have been in get hold of with Anne’s loved ones and will provide what ever guidance we can now and in the days in advance as they cope with this indescribable decline,’ claimed Capilouto.

‘We will be there for these in our community who realized and loved Anne. We also have practically 80 learners from South Korea at Uk, associates of our group, who will require our assistance,’ the University’s president ongoing. 

In accordance to a submit on her Instagram account, Gieske, who was from Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, just celebrated her 20th birthday on Friday. She graduated from Beechwood Superior Faculty in 2020. 

In August, Gieske established up an Instagram account dedicated to detailing her adventures in South Korea.  

Her dad and mom, Dan and Madonna, explained in a temporary assertion that their daughter was a devout Catholic. The relatives extra: ‘We are completely devastated and heartbroken in excess of the loss of Anne Marie. She was a shiny mild loved by all.’ 

Steve Blesi’s father posted this picture of his son on Twitter as their relatives frantically sought information about his whereabouts as information of the stampede emerged

Blesi’s father, Steven Blesi, 62, of Marietta, Ga, instructed the New York Times that their family members was contacted on Saturday night time by the United States Embassy in Seoul and told the tragic information. 

Before, Steven Blesi experienced despatched out a tweet that highlighted a image of his son as the loved ones pleaded for info. Adhering to the affirmation, he tweeted: ‘Thank you for the outpouring of like. We will need time to grieve.’ 

In his job interview with the Times, Steven Blesi explained the suffering of his son’s demise. He said: ‘It was like it stabbed like a hundred million instances concurrently. It was like your planet just collapsing. It was numb and devastating all at the similar time.’ 

He said that his son was studying at Hanyang College at the time of his loss of life. Steven Blesi extra that his son wished to go after organization in eastern Asia just after graduation. 

He joked in his interview with the Occasions: ‘My wife is Latin, but he did not want to go to Latin The united states. He was really understanding Korean in addition to Spanish. He preferred to communicate more languages than my wife.’

In addition to his father, Steve Blesi is survived by his mom, Maria, and his brother, Joey. Heartbreakingly, his father instructed the Instances: ‘I texted him maybe a fifty percent-hour ahead of all this occurred, and I explained, “I know you are out and about. Be protected.” I in no way acquired a reply to that.’ 

Kennesaw State University stated in a assertion: ‘Kennesaw Point out College officers were deeply saddened to learn that KSU college student Steven Blesi was among the the a lot more than 150 people today tragically killed in this weekend’s Halloween incident in Seoul, South Korea.’

The school extra that a overall of 11 college students from Kennesaw State College at at the moment learning in Seoul. The assertion stated that all of the other college students are secure and have been accounted for.

The school’s president Kathy Schwaig said: ‘On behalf of the total Kennesaw Point out neighborhood, our feelings and prayers go out to Steven’s spouse and children and close friends as they mourn this incomprehensible decline. We have been in get in touch with with Steven’s relatives and have available all obtainable resources of the College to them.’

Gieske was 1 of a few college students from the College of Kentucky who were learning overseas in Seoul, South Korea, according to reps from the college

Some stories suggest that the the greater part of the victim’s from the incident had been teenagers and people in their twenties. 

The bash took position in central Seoul and came to a head when the massive crowd attempted rushed via slender corridors, trampling more than some others. 

Horrifying video from just after the incident reveals a fireman in South Korea trembling as he provides a push briefing about the Halloween stampede that killed around 150 men and women.

An more 82 have been wounded in the course of the stampede, the team introduced Sunday. 

South Korea’s Chief of Yongsan Fireplace Office Choi Seong-beom appeared to shake as he gave the media a briefing on the stampede that killed at least 153 in Seoul

Onlookers, police and paramedics collected exactly where dozens of people today endured cardiac arrest, in the preferred nightlife district of Itaewon

The ‘heartbreaking’ movie, which was taken several hours right after the lethal incident happened, exhibits the exhausted unexpected emergency worker a bit shaking as he retains the microphone.

On-line, persons responded to the online video to share their sympathies with Choi Seong-beom and other emergency employees who attended the traumatic incident.

Much more than 1,700 emergency workers had been deployed from across South Korea to reply to a single of the deadliest crowd crushes in the latest history – such as about 520 firefighters, 1,100 law enforcement officers and 70 government staff.

More footage overlooking the road confirmed dozens of unexpected emergency responders operating desperately to administer CPR to victims lying on the street.  

Remaining: The alleyway is observed early on Sunday morning. It remained cordoned off as law enforcement ongoing their investigations into the tragedy. Appropriate: The similar alleyway is observed shortly prior to the crush. Hundreds of people are revealed packed in

Dozens of people who had been hurt or killed reportedly experienced cardiac arrests.  

At at the very least 19 of all those are overseas nationals. 

South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol declared the 7 days of nationwide mourning and soon after visiting the web-site earlier these days claimed that the lethal stampede ‘should not have happened’.

‘In the centre of Seoul, a tragedy and catastrophe transpired that really should not have happened,’ Yoon mentioned in a national address, vowing to ‘thoroughly investigate’ the incident and guarantee it could by no means transpire yet again.

Stories from last night also element how some revelers ongoing to party in the neighborhood soon after the crush – irrespective of desperate pleas from the law enforcement to go residence.