South Korea declares national mourning after more than 150 die in stampede

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol has declared national mourning period over a stampede during Halloween festivities that left 153 people dead including 19 foreigners. 

"In the centre of Seoul, a tragedy and disaster occurred that should not have happened," Yoon said in a national address on Sunday, vowing to "thoroughly investigate" the incident and ensure it could never happen again.

Emergency workers and pedestrians desperately performed CPR on people lying in the streets after the crush in the capital’s leisure district of Itaewon.

Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul's Yongsan fire department, said the death toll could rise further and that an unspecified number among the injured were in critical condition.

An estimated 100,000 people had gathered in Itaewon for the country's biggest outdoor Halloween festivities since the pandemic began. 

READ MORE: South Korea Halloween crush kills nearly 150

The South Korean government eased Covid-19 restrictions in recent months. 

Itaewon, near where the former headquarters of US military forces in South Korea operated before moving out of the capital in 2018, is an expat-friendly district known for its trendy bars, clubs and restaurants.