The deadly incident that took place in Seoul this evening is reported to have begun after 22:00 local time (13:00 GMT).

But there appear to have been warnings from earlier in the night about the busy crowds.

Social media messages show some people remarking that the Itaewon area was so crowded that it felt unsafe.

"Wildly unsafe in Itaewon right now," one Twitter user wrote , externalaround the time the crush is thought to have begun. She also posted a video of what looked like an overcrowded road.

Another warned anyone in the nearby area of Hongdae to "consider going home".

"With people unable to go to Itaewon, they may move to Hongdae and make the situation unsafe as well. Stay safe," she wrote, external.

As we've reported, the death toll following a crush in South Korea's capital, Seoul, is continuing to rise.

To give you a sense of the fast-changing situation, here's a breakdown of the figures so far:

• Initially we were told that 50 people were in cardiac arrest following an incident in the Itaewon neighbourhood
• The first death toll - issued at about 02:30 local time (17:30 GMT) - revealed that at least 59 people had died and a further 150 were injured
• Within an hour, that jumped to 120 dead and 100 injured
• And now it's 146 people dead and 150 injured

It's possible this will change again - if it does, we'll let you know.

Image source, EPA

Video footage from the scene of the crush showed people performing emergency first aid on several victims, who appeared to be lying prone on the pavement.

Rescue workers rushed to help others.

Police officers formed a cordon around the site of the crush, while ambulance staff loaded the injured into ambulances.

Blankets covered more than 20 bodies on on the roadside, news agency AFP reports.

If you're just joining us, this is what we know so far:

• At least 146 people have died in a crush in South Korea's capital Seoul
• Another 150 have been injured - it is possible these numbers will change again
• The accident happened in a popular nightlife area in the first Halloween event since the pandemic
• It is not clear what triggered the crush
• An emergency meeting is being held by the South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol

Image source, Getty Images

Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire department, has been regularly updating reporters on the ground.

He's also quoted as saying that of the 120 people now confirmed dead, 74 bodies have been sent to hospitals while the remaining 46 who had been kept on the streets are being transported to a nearby gym so for identification.

The death toll changed dramatically in the last hour - from 59 to 120 - with authorities working to establish what caused the crush.

Stay with us as we bring you regular updates.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has tweeted a message of support to "all South Koreans" at this "very distressing time".

Eyewitness accounts from the area where the crush occurred suggest crowd numbers were already soaring three hours before the incident.

Raphael Rashid told the BBC he arrived in the area towards 1900 local time.

"It was very clear that there were so many people here, probably the most I've ever seen in Itaewon and the crowds were just gathering more and more

"Toward 10pm it was clear that there were far too many people and something was unravelling at that moment.

"There are tens of thousands of people - the most I've ever seen. So many people - to the point we were being crushed on the pavement, to the point where we had to spill onto the road where there were cars.

"At that moment we could hear a lot of fire brigade, ambulances, and police trying to get through the crowd.

"No one really understood what was going on, but they were already several police cars at the scene in front of Itaewon station and police standing on top of their police cars desperately trying to tell people to leave the area as soon as possible."

As we reported earlier, the death toll in Seoul is increasing quickly.

Authorities now believe at least 146 people have been killed and a further 150 injured.

We'll keep you updated if this changes again, stay with us.

Image source, EPA

A local journalist said that an emergency broadcast had been sent to every mobile phone in the Yongsan District urging people to return home as soon as possible due to "an emergency accident near Hamilton Hotel in Itaewon".

Itaewon is a busy bar area in Yongsan - popular with Seoul's young people - and Halloween is one of the busiest weekends of the year in the South Korean capital.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is on his way back to the capital city, cutting short of his four-nation tour of Europe.

Jean Mackenzie
Seoul correspondent

On one street, more than a dozen people were laid on the ground – their bodies covered in blue blankets.

They were then lifted, apparently unconscious, into ambulances.

It appears they were crushed, as large crowds – who’d gathered for Halloween parties – pushed forward down a narrow street, in the Itaewon neighbourhood of the city.

This is one of the most popular places to go out at night and Halloween is one of the busiest weekends of the year.

Image source, EPA

Paramedics performed CPR on victims of the crush near Hamilton Hotel in the Itaewon district of Seoul, as the extent of the deadly surge became clear.

A total of 142 fire engines and other rescue vehicles have been mobilised to deal with the tragic accident.

Authorities said that the number of deaths could still rise further with those who sustained serious injuries receiving emergency treatments at nearby hospitals.

Authorities said they are investigating the exact cause of the incident in Seoul.

The deadly incident occurred on a hill where people at the top fell over, causing a massive crush.

The incident took place at about 22:20 local time (13:20 BST), after a large number of people fell down in a narrow alley during Halloween celebrations, Choi Sung-beom, head of the Yongsan Fire Station, told Reuters news agency.

There were reportedly 100,000 revellers in the area. Social media messages posted earlier in the evening show some remarking that the tourist district of Itaewon was so crowded that it felt unsafe.

At least 120 people are understood to have been killed in a crush during Halloween celebrations in in Seoul's Itaewon district.

It was the first outdoor no-mask Halloween event since the pandemic.

"The area is still chaotic so we are still trying to figure out the exact number of people injured," Moon Hyun-joo, an official at the National Fire Agency told Reuters news agency.

Foreign nationals are reported to be among the many transferred to nearby hospitals.

The BBC's Hosu Lee visited the scene soon after the first reports emerged.

He says he saw "a lot of medical staff, a lot of ambulances, they were taking the bodies away one by one".

Lee adds there were thousands among the crowds, and a number of bodies covered in blue sheets, alongside a "ton of police".

"A lot of young people have gathered here tonight," Lee says. "A lot of people came to the party and club, wearing costumes and a lot of people I've seen distraught and sad and there are chaotic scenes."

Videos from the scene show people struggling in dense crowds and and emergency workers attending.

Cries of distress can be heard amid the chaos.

Currently officials say more than 150 people have been injured.

The number of fatalities is still unclear.

A deadly crush in South Korea's capital has killed scores. Here's what we know:

• 120 people have been killed - and 100 injured
• The accident occurred as huge crowds gathered in a popular nightlife area to celebrate Halloween
• It was the first outdoor no-mask Halloween event since the pandemic