At least 149 people have died in a crush during a large Halloween gathering in the capital of South Korea, according to officials.

Emergency personnel were cited by the Yonhap news agency as reporting that at least 150 more people had been injured in Seoul’s Itaewon area.

Also read: South Korea Halloween gathering: Dozens in cardiac arrest, many out of breath

Videos taken at the site show body bags along the streets, paramedics conducting CPR, and rescuers attempting to free victims pinned beneath other victims.

Yoon Suk-yeol, the president of South Korea, has convened an emergency meeting.

According to fire officials quoted in a story by Yonhap news agency, about 50 people were suffering cardiac arrest in the central neighbourhood.

Also read: South Korea Halloween crush: At least 59 dead, more than 150 injured

Why was there a crowd surge?

According to authorities, a massive crowd started rushing forward in a small lane outside the Hamilton Hotel, a popular gathering place for revellers in Seoul, and several people are thought to have been crushed to death.

100,000 people allegedly attended the first outdoor no-mask Halloween celebration in the area since the pandemic.

Some people remarked that the Itaewon neighbourhood was so crowded that it felt unsafe to social media posts from earlier in the evening.

Also read: Watch: South Korea Halloween stampede that left dozens in cardiac arrest

According to prior reports in the local media, many people allegedly swarmed to an Itaewon bar after hearing that an unidentified celebrity had visited the place.

Both emergency personnel and bystanders are seen assisting to what appear to be unconscious people on the streets in photos and videos.

Following the rush in the Itaewon district on Saturday night, Choi Seong-beom, chief of Seoul’s Yongsan fire station, warned that the death toll would rise as rescue personnel continued to carry the injured to hospitals all across Seoul.