Two American College Students Among 153 Killed In Seoul Halloween Stampede Identified

Steven Blesi

Anne Gieske

Kennesaw State University confirmed in a statement Sunday night that Steven Blesi, an international business major at the university, was killed in the stampede in downtown Seoul on Saturday.

“On behalf of the entire Kennesaw State community, our thoughts and prayers go out to Steven’s family and friends as they mourn this incomprehensible loss,” Kennesaw State University President Kathy Schwaig said. “We have been in contact with Steven’s family and have offered all available resources of the University to them.

Also, Gieske, a 20-year-old University of Kentucky nursing student was killed. She was studying abroad, along with two other students and a faculty member. They were said to be safe, according to a statement by the university president, Eli Capilouto.

“The University of Kentucky community is grieving the tragic loss of one of our students, Anne Gieske, who was studying abroad in Seoul, South Korea, and was killed in this weekend’s tragedy,” wrote Capilouto. “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.”