The family of an Australian woman killed in a Halloween crowd crush in South Korea has paid tribute to the 23-year-old, describing her as the life of the party and an incredible human being.
Sydney film production assistant Grace Rached was identified as the Australian victim of the tragedy in , when more than 150 people died.
Ms Rached's family said she was a talented film producer who was passionate about making a difference.
"We are missing our gorgeous angel Grace, who lit up the room with her infectious smile," they said in a statement.
"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."
A man at a makeshift memorial for the more than 150 people killed in a stampede at a Halloween event in central Seoul. Source: AFP / ANTHONY WALLACE
Ms Rached was working as a production assistant at Singapore-based film and media company ElectricLime, according to her LinkedIn profile.
She had been with the company for the last 15 months, had previously worked at smaller production companies, and had volunteered for Sydney short film festival Tropfest.
She had studied at the University of Technology in Sydney, completing a Bachelor of Communications and International Studies.
"(Grace) cared deeply about her two sisters and was a wonderful role model. Grace showed us what it meant to be an incredible human being," her family said.
"We will deeply miss our beautiful Grace, our life of the party."
A friend who was with Ms Rached, Nathan Taverniti, said "there was no stampede. It was a slow and agonising crush".
"This crush was not caused by drunk people. It was caused by a lack of planning, police force and emergency services," a tearful Mr Taverniti said on TikTok.
Acacia Elizabeth Gib wrote on Ms Rached's TikTok page: "Rest in peace beautiful. My heart is breaking for you and your family."
Another TikTok user, Mandy, wrote on her profile: "I'm glad you were living your best life before it was tragically taken away."
Ms Rached's last post on the short video site showed her holidaying in Bali, and was captioned: "Thanks Bali, you were a blast".
The tragedy struck as a large crowd gathered to celebrate Halloween, and a throng of people surged into an alleyway near a nightclub area.
The area is popular with young people, expatriates and travellers.
"Our sincere condolences for all affected by this terrible tragedy," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese tweeted on Sunday before news broke of the Australian's death.
A NSW Department of Education spokesperson told news agency AAP they were deeply saddened to hear about the tragic death of Ms Rached, who was a former student of Canterbury Girls High in Sydney.
"Our sincere condolences and deepest sympathies go to the student's family and the broader school community," the spokesperson said.
"The school will be providing counselling and support for all affected students and staff."
Police survey the aftermath of a section of where the crush happened. Source: Getty / The Washington Post
"The government will undertake a thorough investigation into what caused this accident and do its best to make necessary institutional changes so that such an accident is not repeated," Mr Han said as government officials met to discuss the disaster.
"Identification has been completed for all of the 154 deceased except one, and I believe it is time for follow-up measures such as funeral procedures to be carried out in earnest," Mr Han said. "We will do our best to provide necessary support by reflecting the opinions of the bereaved families as much as possible."
He said there were incidents of people propagating hate speech by blaming victims, as well as spreading false information and posting disturbing scenes of the incident online. A National Police Agency official said they were investigating six related cases.
President Yoon Suk-yeol, who has declared a period of national mourning and designated Itaewon a disaster zone, visited a memorial altar near the Seoul city hall and paid his respects to victims on Monday, his office said.
On Monday morning, people laid white chrysanthemum flowers, drinks and candles at a small makeshift altar off an exit of the Itaewon subway station, a few steps away from the site of the crush.
"It doesn't matter how they died, or why they died. Those poor people, all at similar ages to my grandchildren, they died anyway," said Jung Si-hoon, a retiree and a church elder, who placed an old wooden cross at the altar. "What more should we say? We should pray for them and wish they rest in peace."
With Reuters.
