Anne Gieske, a nursing student from northern Kentucky, has died due to a stampede of people in the Itaewon area of Seoul.
Gieske was one of more than 150 people killed when a huge Halloween party crowd flooded into a narrow alley in Seoul’s nightlife district on Oct. 30.
Gieske was in her third year at the University of Kentucky and was studying in South Korea this semester for a study abroad program.
She was the niece of Republican U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup of Ohio, who mourned her loss with a public statement.
“Monica and I, and our entire family, are grieving the loss of our niece Anne Marie Gieske,” he said. “She was a gift from God to our family. We loved her so much. We are completely devastated and heartbroken over the loss of Anne Marie. She was a bright light loved by all. We ask for your prayers but also the respect of our privacy. Anne’s final gift to us was dying in the state of sanctifying grace. We know we will one day be reunited with her in God’s kingdom.”
Accompanying Gieske was Steven Blesi from Kennesaw State University in Georgia. Blesi was also in South Korea for a study abroad program and also was killed in the stampede.
Blesi’s father told People’s magazine that he texted his son the night of the surge. “He told me he was going to be out with friends because they had finished midterms,” he said. “I told him, Okay, I know you’re out and about, but be safe, and I love you.”
This disaster is among the country’s deadliest since a 2014 ferry accident that killed 304 people. It is still unclear what led the crowd to rush into the downhill alley, but authorities promise a thorough investigation.