A second member of South Korean pop group Ladies' Code has died after a vehicular accident on September 3 in Gyeonggi Province, near Seoul, BBC reports.
In a statement issued by the group's agency Polaris Entertainment, Rise, whose real name is Kwon Ri-sae, "passed away at 10:10 a.m. on the 7th" after being in critical condition and undergoing operation several times. She was 23.
She became the second member of the five-member group to die from the crash, which happened as they were on their way to Seoul from the southeastern city of Daegu after filming a TV interview.
Bandmate Go Eun-bi, known in the industry as EunB, died immediately after the crash. She was 22.
Rise, who is of Japanese and Korean descent, had been unconscious in the days following the accident. She had undergone hours of surgery for severe damages to her head and leg, according to confirmed reports gathered by Billboard.
The crash, which happened in the early hours of September 3, inflicted a facial fracture on member Sojung, who is still in hospital, according to Metro. She also underwent operation.
Members Ashley and Zuny have been released from hospital and were at the September 5 funeral for bandmate EunB. Footage shows them "distraught and in tears, with [Zuny] in a neck brace," noted Billboard.
Polaris Entertainment's statement mentions that Rise "obtained a big injury to her head and was moved to the hospital. She was operated on as much as possible for a long time, but she has ultimately passed away."
"Her parents, who came from Japan, and the label employees stayed with her at the end. We are sorry to give another sad news since the late EunB and we cannot hide our sorrow," the statement said.
Ladies' Code debuted last year and released their latest single "Kiss Kiss" last month.
