Sunyoung Jeong
Reporting from Itaewon

For many small business owners in Itaewon the weekend leading up to Halloween, when tens of thousands gather across South Korea, is a lucrative business opportunity and one that had been absent during the Covid pandemic amid the country’s strict social distancing rules around Covid.

However this tragic incident means that for most, it's not the right time to embrace the opportunity.

Sunyoung Jeong
Reporting from Itaewon

It is Sunday evening in Itaewon, a district known for its vibrant nightlife and chic restaurants.

By this time of the day you would usually be seeing crowds of young people heading out to their favourite spots and tourists from home and abroad lining one of Itaewon's many narrow alleys - the neighbourhood was featured in the popular Netflix drama, Itaewon Class.

Today however there are police outside Itaewon subway station - rare in a country that prides itself on public safety. Itaewon's main road is completely sealed off.

Small restaurants, cafes and clothing shops, always eager to open on a sunny day like this one, are closed.

A man who runs a tailor shop right across from the site of the tragedy has kept his store open today.

He doesn’t wish to be named, but tells me that although he didn't witness what happened last night he felt the need to open today. He says that he feels being at the site is one way to send his condolences to the young people who lost their lives.

A local female resident says she was shocked at the sight of body bags lining the street.

She said she came out after seeing a news alert that there had been two confirmed victims - and saw that many more people had died.

People here are finding it hard to grapple with the enormity of the tragedy.

The death toll from last night's incident now stands at 153, officials tell the BBC.

Authorities say that 20 foreign nationals died in last night's crush

A Thai national is among those who died, the Royal Thai Embassy in Seoul has said.

The Australian embassy has confirmed that one of their citizens also died in the accident.

Choi Seong-beom, head of the fire department in Yongsan, has said that individuals from Iran, Uzbekistan, China and Norway have also died, Yonhap News Agency is reporting.

Image source, Reuters

Halloween may have originated centuries ago as a pagan tradition in Europe, but today it is celebrated around the world, including in South Korea.

America's cultural influence has driven its global popularity, especially in recent decades, with the introduction of pumpkin carving and trick-or-treating.

Hollywood, TV shows and sitcoms on streaming platforms that are aired around the globe have long featured it as a plot point.

In South Korea, Halloween is a relatively new holiday, and no doubt an import of American culture, which is popular in the country. While trick-or-treating is not common, and houses are not typically covered in spooky décor, the celebration is popular among young people.

Each year it’s common for people to dress up in Halloween-style costumes and head out to bars or clubs to celebrate.

In Seoul, many of those venues are located in Itaewon, a nightlife hub in the very heart of the capital - and that's where Saturday's deadly crush happened.

It's now Sunday afternoon in Seoul, the day after a deadly crush killed 151 people.

This is what it looks like in and around Itaewon, the neighbourhood where the disaster unfolded in a narrow alley.

Xi Jinping has sent a message to his South Korean counterpart Yoon Suk-yeol offering condolences to victims and their families, Chinese state media CCTV reports.

He said the accident had killed and injured Chinese nationals, adding that he hoped South Korean officials would "make the utmost effort" to treat those who have been affected.

According to state-run Xinhua News Agency, four Chinese nationals were killed and two others suffered minor injuries in the crush.

BBC Thai

Jessi Jassicah was at a pub at the corner of the alley where the crush happened on Saturday night.

She says she had just opened a bottle of champagne, when she heard a scream and turned around to look.

People had already fallen and they fell like dominoes, falling flat," she said, describing what she saw in a video she posted on Facebook.

She says people then started scrambling to stand up and security tried to stop them from entering the pub as they attempted to escape the crush.

"I was locked in for a while because the security didn't allow me out. I was terrified when I saw people spitting blood and having CPR performed on them," she said.

She says when she managed to get out and walked to the next alley, she was shocked to find that "tourists were still dancing, they were still taking pictures".

"It was shocking because a lot of people didn't see the news, they still didn't know what was going on.”

South Korean and Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-min has paid condolences to victims on social media.

"All my thoughts are with you all back home in Korea. I am heartbroken to be reading this news... I want you to all know I am thinking of you and sending you all of my strength from here," he posted, external on his Instagram account.

The 30-year-old is the captain of South Korea's national team.

Witnesses have described scenes of utter chaos when the narrow streets of Seoul's popular Itaewon nightlife district became choked with people, in crowds which suffocated them.

Raphael Rashid, a freelance journalist, told the BBC there were "tens of thousands of people - the most I've ever seen. So many people - to the point we were being crushed on the pavement".

Thousands of teenagers and adults in their 20s had descended on Itaewon in Halloween costumes, thrilled that they could finally party after two years of Covid restrictions in South Korea.

But video clips of the disaster showed real-life horror unfolding, with one witness likening the disaster to a war movie. More than 150 died, more than 80 were injured.

A medic at the scene said "so many victims' faces were pale".

"I could not catch their pulse or breath and many of them had a bloody nose."

Click to read more witness accounts of how the night unfolded.

Mourning altars dedicated to those who died in Saturday night's crush will be set up in central Seoul, the city government has said.

An altar will be set up in Seoul Plaza, where people will be allowed to pay their respects to the victims.

Officials also say another altar will be set up at Itaewon Plaza, which is located near to where the crush happened.

Hours earlier South Korea's president announced there would be a national mourning period, ordering flags at government buildings and public offices to be lowered to half-mast.

Image source, Reuters

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

We've spoken to one woman at the Seoul community centre. We didn't get her name because she was so distraught she could barely talk.

Her son is 22 and is called Marcelo - he works at a night club in Itaewon. He went to work last night and she didn't hear from him, and she still hasn't heard from him.

They're from the Ivory Coast and have lived in Korea for 18 years.

She was in tears as she described how he is her only son and she has no information on where he is.

She's been calling his phone and she can't get through to him. They have no information on him at the centre.

Image source, Reuters

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

The community centre in Seoul is where the grief is playing out today.

Relatives have been coming here and finding out whether their loved one is one of the known victims, and whether they are in hospitals in Seoul.

But in many cases the people in this centre do not have the information the families are looking for.

The people arriving are completely distraught - most of them are in tears and are breaking down when they hear there's no information.

We've seen people being escorted out because they're too devastated and too weak to walk.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

As we've been reporting, at least 151 people have died and 82 were injured in a crush that began at a Halloween celebration in South Korea's capital Seoul on Saturday night.

Itaewon in central Seoul is known for its vibrant nightlife.

It's popular with locals, expats and foreign visitors. Many of its narrow alleyways and winding streets are lined with bars, shops and restaurants serving food from around the world.

Although Halloween is not a traditional South Korean holiday, it has become increasingly popular in recent years.

This year's celebration is the first since Covid restrictions on face masks on social distancing were lifted.

Local reports estimated that around 100,000 people were in Itaewon to celebrate Halloween.

Sunyoung Jeong
Reporting from Itaewon

It's afternoon in Korea's capital now.

The usually busy Itaewon district, where the crush happened, is quiet.

Only a few shops, cafes and restaurants are starting to open up. But other businesses are staying shut to show their condolences.

This comes after South Korea's president declared a period of national mourning.

The alleys where people were injured in the crowd surges are still cordoned off.

Around 2,900 missing persons reports have been filed in connection with Saturday night's crush, the Hannam-dong Community Service Center has told the BBC.

Families of those who attended the Halloween event but have not returned since have been registering queries with the centre, which is located in the area where the accident happened.

Anxious relatives have also been waiting at the centre for news of loved ones.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Three Chinese nationals have died in the Itaewon crush on Saturday night, according to the statet-run Xinhua news agency.

The Chinese embassy in Seoul has offered its condolences and said it will provide assistance to the families of the deceased, Xinhua reported.

There are 19 foreign nationals among the dead, Korean emergency services said.

If you're just joining us, it's past midday in Seoul. Here's the latest:

• At least 151 have people died and 82 have been injured in a crowd crush in South Korea's capital, Seoul
• 19 foreign nationals are among the dead, emergency services say

• It happened when huge crowds celebrating Halloween surged into a narrow alley in the popular Itaewon nightlife area

• Most of those killed were in their teens and 20s, officials say
• Witnesses reported police struggling to control the crowds of revellers
• Survivors said they struggled to breathe as bodies pressed up against one another

• It was the first Halloween event in Seoul since Covid restrictions on mask-wearing and social distancing were lifted
• South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has visited the district where the crush happened and ordered an investigation and a task force to help the injured

A doctor who administered first aid to victims has described the desperate struggle to save lives. Lee Beom-suk spoke to local broadcaster YTN, quoted by AFP news agency.

"When I first attempted CPR there were two victims lying on the pavement. But the number exploded soon after, outnumbering first responders at the scene," he said. "Many bystanders came to help us with CPR."

"It's hard to put in words to describe. So many victims' faces were pale. I could not catch their pulse or breath and many of them had a bloody nose."