Photo: Lee Jin-man/AP/ShutterstockSeveral hours before the crowd surge in South Korea thatkilled over 156 people, panicked warning calls were made to police,The Washington Postreported, citing transcripts released on Tuesday.Seoul’s mass-casualty incident, which alsoinjured at least 157, prompted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to order his government to provide disaster medical emergency assistance, according to the BBC,New York Times, and CNN.“The top priority is to evacuate and save the victims. We should take them tourgent medical treatment as quickly as possible,” the president said to his cabinet, per theTimes. However, they were tragically much too late for scores of Halloween revelers.At approximately 6:34 p.m., the string of desperate pleas started rolling in.“There are a lot of people going up and down this alley. I’m very nervous about it,” one caller said, expressing fear over the worsening situation in the capital city’s Itaewon district. “I think people might be crushed. I barely escaped, but there are too many people. I think you need to intervene.“Steven Blesi and Anne Gieske.JEON HEON-KYUN/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockAt 8:09 p.m., another caller reported that party-goers were injured. “There are so many people here. … It’s crazy. People are getting hurt.“As more time passed, the cries for help kept getting more intense and panicked. “Here, we’re about to be crushed. It is chaos … [audible screams]. In Itaewon, in the back road.“Emergency personnel reportedly didn’t arrive to the scene to start controlling the crowd until around 11 p.m., a little over four hours after the concerned callers began asking for help.South Korean media outlets reported that the area was too congested for police to get anywhere near the scene, but many event attendees criticized the lack of personnel they had assigned to the event in the first place,which attracted over 100,000people to celebrate Halloween in Seoul’s popular nightlife district, according to thePost.Steven Blesi, 20, of Marietta, Ga., was studying abroad in the country when he was killed in the incident over the weekend, his dad Steve Blesi confirms to PEOPLE.The grieving father tells PEOPLE that his son had “an adventurous spirit” and “could have done anything he wanted in this world.“Courtesy of Steve Blesi"The world’s a darker place without him in it,” says Steve, a retired IT director.Steve first confirmed his son wasone of the victimsof Saturday’s crowd surge in an interview withThe Washington Post.Anne Gieske, a junior nursing student at University of Kentucky, was also studying abroad in Seoul this fall when she waskilled in the crush, according to a statement from university president Eli Capilouto.South Korea’s chief of police, Yoon Hee-geun, acknowledged on Tuesday that the crowd control was “inadequate” as more details continue to unfold of the Halloween tragedy.

Photo: Lee Jin-man/AP/Shutterstock

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Lee Jin-man/AP/Shutterstock (13554017j) Rescue workers wait to carry victims on the street near the scene in Seoul, South Korea, . Scores of people were killed and others were injured as they were crushed by a large crowd pushing forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities in the capital, South Korean officials said Halloween Crowd Surge, Seoul, South Korea - 29 Oct 2022

Several hours before the crowd surge in South Korea thatkilled over 156 people, panicked warning calls were made to police,The Washington Postreported, citing transcripts released on Tuesday.Seoul’s mass-casualty incident, which alsoinjured at least 157, prompted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to order his government to provide disaster medical emergency assistance, according to the BBC,New York Times, and CNN.“The top priority is to evacuate and save the victims. We should take them tourgent medical treatment as quickly as possible,” the president said to his cabinet, per theTimes. However, they were tragically much too late for scores of Halloween revelers.At approximately 6:34 p.m., the string of desperate pleas started rolling in.“There are a lot of people going up and down this alley. I’m very nervous about it,” one caller said, expressing fear over the worsening situation in the capital city’s Itaewon district. “I think people might be crushed. I barely escaped, but there are too many people. I think you need to intervene.“Steven Blesi and Anne Gieske.JEON HEON-KYUN/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockAt 8:09 p.m., another caller reported that party-goers were injured. “There are so many people here. … It’s crazy. People are getting hurt.“As more time passed, the cries for help kept getting more intense and panicked. “Here, we’re about to be crushed. It is chaos … [audible screams]. In Itaewon, in the back road.“Emergency personnel reportedly didn’t arrive to the scene to start controlling the crowd until around 11 p.m., a little over four hours after the concerned callers began asking for help.South Korean media outlets reported that the area was too congested for police to get anywhere near the scene, but many event attendees criticized the lack of personnel they had assigned to the event in the first place,which attracted over 100,000people to celebrate Halloween in Seoul’s popular nightlife district, according to thePost.Steven Blesi, 20, of Marietta, Ga., was studying abroad in the country when he was killed in the incident over the weekend, his dad Steve Blesi confirms to PEOPLE.The grieving father tells PEOPLE that his son had “an adventurous spirit” and “could have done anything he wanted in this world.“Courtesy of Steve Blesi"The world’s a darker place without him in it,” says Steve, a retired IT director.Steve first confirmed his son wasone of the victimsof Saturday’s crowd surge in an interview withThe Washington Post.Anne Gieske, a junior nursing student at University of Kentucky, was also studying abroad in Seoul this fall when she waskilled in the crush, according to a statement from university president Eli Capilouto.South Korea’s chief of police, Yoon Hee-geun, acknowledged on Tuesday that the crowd control was “inadequate” as more details continue to unfold of the Halloween tragedy.

Several hours before the crowd surge in South Korea thatkilled over 156 people, panicked warning calls were made to police,The Washington Postreported, citing transcripts released on Tuesday.

Seoul’s mass-casualty incident, which alsoinjured at least 157, prompted South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol to order his government to provide disaster medical emergency assistance, according to the BBC,New York Times, and CNN.

“The top priority is to evacuate and save the victims. We should take them tourgent medical treatment as quickly as possible,” the president said to his cabinet, per theTimes. However, they were tragically much too late for scores of Halloween revelers.

At approximately 6:34 p.m., the string of desperate pleas started rolling in.

“There are a lot of people going up and down this alley. I’m very nervous about it,” one caller said, expressing fear over the worsening situation in the capital city’s Itaewon district. “I think people might be crushed. I barely escaped, but there are too many people. I think you need to intervene.”

Steven Blesi and Anne Gieske.JEON HEON-KYUN/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

The photos of two US victims of the Seoul Halloween stampede, Steven Blesi and Anne Gieski, are seen at the scene of the stampede in Seoul, South Korea, 31 October 2022. According to the National Fire Agency, at least 154 people were killed and 149 were injured in the stampede on 29 October as a large crowd came to celebrate Halloween. Aftermath of Halloween stampede in Seoul, Korea - 31 Oct 2022

At 8:09 p.m., another caller reported that party-goers were injured. “There are so many people here. … It’s crazy. People are getting hurt.”

As more time passed, the cries for help kept getting more intense and panicked. “Here, we’re about to be crushed. It is chaos … [audible screams]. In Itaewon, in the back road.”

Emergency personnel reportedly didn’t arrive to the scene to start controlling the crowd until around 11 p.m., a little over four hours after the concerned callers began asking for help.

South Korean media outlets reported that the area was too congested for police to get anywhere near the scene, but many event attendees criticized the lack of personnel they had assigned to the event in the first place,which attracted over 100,000people to celebrate Halloween in Seoul’s popular nightlife district, according to thePost.

Steven Blesi, 20, of Marietta, Ga., was studying abroad in the country when he was killed in the incident over the weekend, his dad Steve Blesi confirms to PEOPLE.

The grieving father tells PEOPLE that his son had “an adventurous spirit” and “could have done anything he wanted in this world.”

Courtesy of Steve Blesi

Steven Blesi, US college students among more than 150 killed in Halloween stampede in South Korea

“The world’s a darker place without him in it,” says Steve, a retired IT director.

Steve first confirmed his son wasone of the victimsof Saturday’s crowd surge in an interview withThe Washington Post.

Anne Gieske, a junior nursing student at University of Kentucky, was also studying abroad in Seoul this fall when she waskilled in the crush, according to a statement from university president Eli Capilouto.

South Korea’s chief of police, Yoon Hee-geun, acknowledged on Tuesday that the crowd control was “inadequate” as more details continue to unfold of the Halloween tragedy.

source: people.com