Teenage Itaewon Crowd Crush Survivor Found Dead On 12 Dec, No Foul Play Suspected

Itaewon Crowd Crush Survivor Who Lost 2 Friends In Disaster Found Dead

A teenager who survived the Itaewon crowd crush that resulted in over 158 deaths was found dead in an apparent suicide.

Police do not suspect foul play. They also did not find a suicide note at the scene.

Investigations into the circumstances of the teen’s death are still ongoing.

Itaewon disaster survivor found dead after missing report filed

Yonhap News Agency reported that the teen’s mother had made a police report after he went missing on Monday (12 Dec).

He was found dead in an accommodation in western Seoul 30 minutes later at 11.40pm.

There were no signs of foul play and it is assumed that he had taken his own life.

Police confirmed that the high schooler will not have an autopsy conducted on him as per the wishes of his family.

They are currently looking into the circumstances of his death to determine the exact cause.

Teen had been getting counselling following Itaewon disaster

According to Seoul education officials and the teen’s family, he had been receiving counselling for the trauma from the Itaewon crowd crush.

He had reportedly lost two friends in the 29 Oct disaster and also received medical treatment for his injuries.

His family said that he had lost consciousness during the incident and woke up after water was sprinkled on his face.

The boy later fell into a life-threatening condition but managed to recover following treatment.

Thereafter, he was said to be receiving counselling at his school as well as a hospital.

According to his uncle, the counsellor had said he was getting better. The older man had also noticed his gradual recovery.

On 11 Nov, a police officer under investigation for his involvement in the Itaewon crush incident was found dead in his northern Seoul home.

No foul play was suspected in his death either.

Families of victims set up mourning altar

On Wednesday (14 Dec), bereaved families of the Itaewon disaster victims set up a mourning altar near the tragedy site, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The families claimed the government had failed to do anything to honour the victims, including setting up a memorial. This likely led to them taking this step on their own.

The portraits and nameplates of 76 victims were displayed at the new memorial.

While the government had set up memorial altars following the tragedy, they allegedly did not feature portraits or nameplates.

This led the families to accuse the government of not properly honouring the victims.

They further claimed that the government attempted to prevent the families from getting together, let alone open a memorial.

If you or anyone you know needs someone to speak to, do not hesitate to reach out to Samaritans of Singapore via their hotline at 1800-221-4444.