Photo/Illutration Flowers are offered Oct. 31 in Seoul's Itaewon district where 155 people died in a stampede on Oct. 29, 2022. (Toshiya Obu)

Acquaintances and relatives expressed shock and sorrow over the deaths of two young Japanese women in the stampede disaster in Seoul.

Both Mei Tomikawa, 26, of Nemuro, Hokkaido, and An Kozuchi, 18, of Saitama Prefecture were taking language studies in South Korea.

They were among the 155 victims who died in the Oct. 29 crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district. An additional 152 people were injured, and 30 were still listed in serious condition.

Family members arrived in the South Korean capital on Oct. 31 to identify the Japanese victims.

According to Tomikawa’s father, Ayumu, she had been studying at a language school in Seoul since June. She sent a message through the Line messaging app to her father on Oct. 29, before the crowd crush occurred, saying she was going out with a friend from France.

“My daughter really loved South Korea and she appeared to enjoy visiting various cafes in Seoul,” Ayumu said.

A female acquaintance living in South Korea said Mei had indicated she wanted to work in South Korea after completing her language studies and eventually start a business.

Mei also took part in various exchange events to make more South Korean friends.

Those who knew Mei in Hokkaido were stunned at the news.

“I was very surprised when I first learned about it on the news this morning,” Kenji Nishimoto, vice principal of Nemuro High School that Mei attended, said. “It is truly regrettable that a graduate met with such an accident.”

One neighbor of the Tomikawa family said: “While she appeared to be the quiet type, she was also attentive to the needs of those around her. She was so kind and honest.”

Shock was also expressed in Saitama Prefecture.

Kozuchi’s grandfather, who lives in Kawaguchi, told reporters at his home on Oct. 31, “I feel as though my heart will burst.”

He said An went to South Korea in August to study the language.

Her parents flew to South Korea on Oct. 31 to identify the body.

The grandfather said relatives called him after the disaster was reported in Japanese media and said that An may have died.

(This article was compiled from reports by Kiyohide Inada and Takuya Suzuki in Seoul as well as Tomoyuki Yamamoto, Yosuke Sasaki, Emiko Arimoto and Shun Noguchi.)

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