Model Tomikawa Mei was confirmed to be a victim in the Halloween tragedy that occurred in Itaewon, South Korea.
Japanese model Tomikawa Mei has reportedly been found as a victim who was killed in the crowd crushing accident that occurred in Itaewon, Korea on the evening of October 29 (local time). The victim’s father, Tomikawa Ayumu, confirmed to NHK Japan that his daughter had passed away at the age of 26 in the Itaewon disaster.
According to Tomikawa Ayumu, Tomikawa Mei went to Korea to study abroad in June after temporarily putting her modeling career on hold. He last contacted his daughter at 19:00 on October 29. During their phone call, Tomikawa Mei told her father that she was going with a French friend. Family and friends were then unable to contact the model.
“I heard about the Itaewon tragedy through the news. I constantly tried to contact my daughter, but no one picked up. We could only pray for her safety, but it was all in vain,” Tomikawa Ayumu shared with the media.
According to Tomikawa Ayumu, the Korean police finally picked up their call, and confirmed that the victim was likely to be Mei. Then, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs matched the body’s fingerprints with Tomikawa Mei and confirmed her as a victim.
On October 31st, Tomikawa Ayumu and his wife came to Korea to receive the body of their daughter. Against the camera, they couldn’t hold back their tears, and expressed that all they want is to finally see their daughter’s face and bring her home.
It was previously reported that two other celebrities passed away in the Itaewon crowd crush, particularly actor Lee Ji Han and cheerleader Kim Yuna. Meanwhile, Yahoo Japan reported that other than Tomikawa Mei, an 18-year-old Japanese student also passed away in the tragedy.
On October 29th, the Halloween celebration at Itaewon, Korea, turned deadly after thousands of people crammed into a small lane next to the Hamilton Hotel. As of October 30, it has been confirmed that 154 people (98 women and 56 men) passed away and 133 others were injured. Many of the injured are in critical condition, said Korea Times.
Source: k14
