This photo of Anne Marie Gieske at Seoul Grand Park and Zoo is from her Instagram account posted last Saturday.

By Ko Dong-hwan

The identities of more victims who died in the Itaewon crowd disaster last Saturday have been shared. Among the 155 deaths, 26 have been confirmed to have foreign nationality. Some of the foreign nationals have made headlines as their backgrounds have been disclosed along with how their bereaved family members and friends have responded to the tragic news of their deaths.

U.S. Congressman Rep. Brad Wenstrup on Monday released a statement online about the death of his niece, Anne Marie Gieske. Representing Ohio's second congressional district in the House of Representatives, Rep. Wenstrup said in the statement that his niece was among those who died in the Halloween crowd crush in Seoul.

"Monica and I, and our entire family, are grieving the loss of our niece, Anne Marie Gieske. She was a gift from God to our family. We loved her so much," Rep. Wenstrup said.

The deceased's parents, Dan and Madonna Gieske, also expressed their devastation in a statement. "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," they said.

The University of Kentucky, which the victim attended, issued a campus message online last Sunday titled, "A tragic loss for our community." Issued by university President Eli Capilouto, it said that Gieske was a junior in nursing from northern Kentucky and was studying in South Korea this semester in a study abroad program.

"We will be there for those in our community who knew and loved Anne," Capilouto said. "We also have nearly 80 students from South Korea at the University of Kentucky ― members of our community who will need our support."

This photo of Grace Rached on Instagram is from Oct. 6 when she said she was visiting the Gili Islands in Lombok, Indonesia.

The family of Grace Rached, an Australian film production assistant who died in the Itaewon disaster, issued a statement on Monday paying tribute to her. Working for the Singapore-based film producing company ElectricLime, the University of Technology Sydney graduate was just 12 days shy of her 24th birthday when she died. Reportedly traveling the world, she visited Itaewon with three friends, one of whom was injured in the accident and taken to an intensive care unit at a local hospital.

"We are missing our gorgeous angel Grace, who lit up the room with her infectious smile," the bereaved family said in the statement cited by The Guardian. "Grace always made others feel important and her kindness left an impression on everyone she ever met. Grace always cared about others and she was loved by all…she cared deeply about her two sisters and was a wonderful role model. Grace showed us what it meant to be an incredible human being. We will deeply miss our beautiful Grace, our life of the party."

Another deceased victim was Steven Blesi, a 20-year-old student from Kennesaw State University in the U.S. state of Georgia, who came to Korea on an exchange program at Hanyang University in Seoul in September.

This photo of Steven Blesi was shared on his father Steve Blesi's Twitter account last Sunday. He said: "Our son was in the area of the stampede in Seoul, we still have not heard from him. Authorities are trying to help. If anyone has any news please share."

Reports detailed how Blesi last saw his parents at Atlanta Airport in August. Among the photos provided by his parents was one showing him looking back smiling while going up an escalator with a red suitcase.

"He was an extrovert, he was full of adventure," his father Steve Blesi said in an interview with The Washington Post. "And this was his first big adventure."

In a message sent via WhatsApp to his father last weekend, the victim said he had finished midterms and was going to have some fun with friends. "I just said, 'Listen, be safe. I love you,'" his father said. "And that was the last text between us."