South Koreans gather to mourn victims of crowd crush

People gathered in Seoul's Itaewon district on Sunday mourning to lay flowers and mourn the victims of Saturday's Halloween crowd surge in which at least 151 people were killed.

The incident occurred during Halloween festivities when a huge crowd surged into a narrow alley in the nightlife district.Witnesses say the streets were so densely clogged with people and slow-moving vehicles that it was practically impossible for emergency workers and ambulances to reach the alley near Hamilton Hotel, as the situation quickly developed into one of the country’s worst disasters in years.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a national mourning period on Sunday and ordered flags at government buildings and public offices to fly at half-staff.Business owners in Itaewon placed signs on their premises on Sunday saying they were closed for the mourning period.