At least 149 killed in crowd crush during Halloween festivities in Seoul

At least 149 people have been killed and at least 150 more injured after being crushed by a large crowd pushing forward on a narrow street during Halloween festivities in the South Korean capital Seoul, officials have said.

Choi Cheon-sik, an official from the National Fire Agency, said dozens were being treated for injuries at hospitals and that the death toll could grow after the crush in the leisure district of Itaewon on Saturday night.

Officials say it was believed that the people were crushed to death after a large crowd began pushing forward in a narrow alley near Hamilton Hotel, a party spot in Seoul.

More than 400 emergency workers and 140 vehicles from around the nation, including all available personnel in Seoul, were deployed to the streets to treat the injured.

The National Fire Agency separately said in a statement that officials were still trying to determine the exact number of emergency patients.

TV footage and photos from the scene showed ambulance vehicles queued up in streets amid a heavy police presence and emergency workers moving the injured on stretchers. Emergency workers and pedestrians were also seen performing CPR on people lying in the streets.

In one clip, paramedics were seen checking the status of a dozen or more people who lay motionless under blue blankets.