Seoul Halloween stampede

FORT MITCHELL, Ky. (WKRC) - A deadly stampede at a Halloween celebration in Seoul left more than 150 people dead.Junior and nursing student at the ...

President Yoon Suk Yeol and tens of thousands of others paid respects to the dead at special mourning sites.

The government opened special memorial sites on Monday in Seoul and other major cities. Saturday’s deaths will likely draw public scrutiny of what government officials have done to improve public safety standards since the ferry disaster. They said a team of police officers and government forensic experts searched the Itaewon area on Monday. Officials said the government will provide necessary support for funeral procedures. Nearly two-thirds of the dead — 98 — were women. It was partially blamed on excessive and poorly fastened cargo and a crew ill-trained for emergency situations. Local media also questioned an apparent lack of safety preparations for the large crowd expected to gather in Itaewon. They said the entire Itaewon area was jammed with slow-moving vehicles and partygoers clad in Halloween costumes, making it impossible for rescuers and ambulances to reach the crammed alleys in time. They said police-provided security for presidents has long been handled by two special police units which have nothing to do with the Yongsan police station, whose jurisdiction includes Itaewon. The death toll could rise further because officials said 33 of the injured were in serious condition. An estimated 100,000 people were gathered there in the country’s largest Halloween celebration since the pandemic began. The other was Steven Blesi, 20, his father, Steve Blesi, wrote on Twitter after earlier seeking information about his son.

Anne Gieske and Steven Blesi were studying abroad when they found themselves caught in the surging Itaewon crowd on Saturday.

The majority of those killed were in their 20s and 30s. “Jill and I are devastated to learn that at least two Americans are among so many who lost their lives in Seoul,” Biden said on Sunday. It was numb and devastating all at the same time.” “We have been in contact with her family and will provide whatever support we can—now and in the days ahead—as they cope with this indescribable loss.” (The Daily Beast reached out to both families for comment.) He had a passion for international business and aspired to be multilingual and work in East Asia. Blesi was a Kennesaw State University junior, and just two months into a study abroad program in South Korea.