President Joe Biden expressed his condolences to the loved ones of two American citizens who died during a stampede at a Halloween event in Seoul, South Korea.
Biden shared the comments in a Sunday post on Twitter after the U.S. Embassy in South Korea confirmed the deaths.
“Jill and I are devastated to learn that at least two Americans are among so many who lost their lives in Seoul,” he wrote. “Our hearts go out to their loved ones in this time of grief, and we continue to pray for the recovery of all who were injured.”
Jill and I are devastated to learn that at least two Americans are among so many who lost their lives in Seoul. Our hearts go out to their loved ones in this time of grief, and we continue to pray for the recovery of all who were injured.
— President Biden (@POTUS) October 30, 2022
“Our staff in Seoul and colleagues in the United States are working tirelessly to provide consular assistance to the victims of last night’s incident and their families,” an embassy statement provided to CNN read on Sunday.
“The U.S. Embassy in Seoul is working closely with local authorities and other partner organizations to assist U.S. citizens affected. We offer our sincerest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and continue to assist the injured. Due to privacy considerations, we have no additional details at this time,” it added.
A total of 153 people were killed in the stampede, according to the latest reports, with another 133 injured. The tragedy occurred when crowds of people celebrating Halloween swelled in the narrow alleys of Seoul’s Itaewon nightclub district.
In addition to the two American citizens who died, three other Americans were treated for injuries.
At least 20 casualties from 10 different nationalities were reported by Sunday, according to the Washington Post.
The Post also reported that one of the American deaths was Steven Blesi, a junior from Kennesaw State University in Marietta, Georgia, near Atlanta. Blesi was in Seoul as part of a study abroad semester, according to his parents.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning following the incident, designating the district in which it occurred as a disaster zone after the Saturday night disaster, according to Reuters.
As The Daily Wire previously reported, there were so many people present at the scene that emergency workers reportedly struggled to reach the victims and then dealt with crowd issues in an effort to transport people to hospitals.
The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Military had also responded to the incident and was helping local authorities do crowd control.
The Yonsan-gu Fire Department said that there was no gas leak or fire in the area as they continued to investigate what led to the mass casualty event.
The tragedy is being called one of the largest mass casualty events during peacetime in the country’s history. Most of the victims were younger adults in their 20s, according to witnesses.