Students among first named victims in Halloween stampede that killed 154
A number of students who were studying abroad are amongst the first victims of Saturday's Halloween stampede in Seoul to be named.
At least 154 people were killed in the tragedy – with 26 of those confirmed as foreign nationals in the South Korean capital.
The incident, which occurred in the city's Iteawon district, left many more injured. Although it is still unclear what triggered the surge, rumours of a celebrity sighting appears to be a suspected cause.
READ MORE: Over 150 killed in horror Halloween crowd crush after 'celebrity' rumours
One of those who lost her life has been named as Anne Gieske – a student from the University of Kentucky, USA, who was spending the autumn semester in the city as part of her nursing degree.
In a statement released to NBC News back home, her loving dad Dan said the family were "completely devastated and heartbroken", describing Anne as a "bright light loved by all."
Another victim, meanwhile, has been confirmed as Australian 23-year old Grace Rached who was studying film production.
Speaking on TikTok, her friend Nathan Taverniti described the moment he "was there when she said she couldn’t breathe", before criticising the organisers' "lack of planning".
He said: "Nobody was willing to help. I watched as people filmed and sang and laughed while my friends were dying, along with many other people.
"I was there trying to pull people out because there was not enough police officers and nobody was doing anything to make the crowd stop."
A third victim was named as 24-year-old Choi Boseong, who was celebrating his birthday at the time with friends.
Another American national, meanwhile, Steven Blesi of Georgia has also been named.
The Kennesaw State University student was one of 11 from the institution taking part in a study abroad programme – with the ten others since reported as safe.
His dad described the news as like being "stabbed like a hundred million times simultaneously", adding that he had been in contact just half an hour before the tragedy to warn Steven to "be safe" on his night out.
The fifth to be named so far is Japanese 26-year old Tomikawa Mei, who was studying the Korean language.
More than 1,700 emergency response workers and 140 vehicles were deployed to the incident.
South Korea’s Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min told reporters that the horrific incident was "not a problem that could have been solved in advance," adding that there had been "various disturbances and demonstrations" in other parts of the capital on Saturday.
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