Second young Australian dies after Seoul surge

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed that a second Australian has died two weeks after sustaining injuries in the Itaewon Halloween crush – raising the death toll to 156.

Social media images of the crowds in Itaewon

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has confirmed that a second Australian has died two weeks after sustaining injuries in the Itaewon Halloween crush – raising the death toll to 156.

A second Australian national has died after succumbing to injuries sustained during the South Korea Halloween crush that killed hundreds.

The Australian resident, believed to be a young woman, is understood to have died at a hospital in Seoul making her the 156th victim of the incident.

The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed the death of the Australian resident on Tuesday but said no further comment on the person’s identity could be provided at this time “owing to our privacy obligations”.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to the family of an Australian resident who died in Seoul following injuries sustained during the Itaewon incident in October,” DFAT told The Australian.

“We send our condolences to the family.”

This comes two weeks after the death of 23 year old Grace Rached, who was holidaying with friends before she was killed in the Itaewon crush.

Grace Rached. Picture: Facebook

The October incident has been widely criticised as a police and government “failure” to maintain appropriate crowd control after thousands of Halloween party-goers descended on the narrow alleyways of South Korea’s commercial district, Itaewon.

Sydney man Nathan Taverniti, a friend of Rached and two other women who were hospitalised due to the incident, said he was among the people caught at the front of the “slow and agonising crush”.

“There was no stampede … This crush was not caused by drunk people. It was [a] lack of planning [by] police force and emergency services. Nobody was willing to help,” Mr Taverniti said in a TikTok post that was later taken down.

“I watched as people filmed and sang and laughed while my friends were dying, along with many other people.”

Mr Taverniti’s friends, Kim Yerim and Justina Cho, both Australians, were also admitted to the ICU after sustaining injuries in the crush. 

Grace Rached (bottom right) pictured with friends Justina Cho, Kim Yerim (top left and right) and Nathan Taverniti (bottom left) are the four Australian victims of the Seoul Halloween stampede which left 153 people dead, including Grace.

Speaking to The Australian, South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-Soo apologised for the fatal incident that claimed the lives of and injured the Australian nationals.

“I really would like to convey all the best for their friends and for the people lying in (a hospital) bed now,” he said.

“We feel really sorry for them. We wish them the best. And we wish that (those in hospital) can recover as soon as possible.”

Nathan Taverniti and Grace Rached. Picture: TikTok

The apology came shortly after South Korean police chief Yoon Hee-keun admitted that police handling and response to the crush had been “insufficient”.

Despite police being aware that “a large crowd” had gathered, police had failed to actively manage the crowd because it wasn’t an “official” event.

“There were multiple reports to the police indicating the seriousness at the site just before the accident occurred,” Mr Yoon said.

Julia Cho, sister of hospitalised Justina Cho, also criticised the lack of crowd control and police presence which many believe could have prevented the high death toll.

“My sister is among one of the countless amount of people who have been impacted by the Itaewon stampede … and is currently in ICU,” Ms Cho said in a TikTok post a day after the incident.

“Local authorities were not on standby and left innocent people helpless.

“I may never get my sister back. The leaders and authorities hold sole responsibility and have failed their people.”