Death toll from S.Korea's crowd crush rises to 156

SEOUL -- The death toll from a crowd crush, which occurred Saturday night at the Itaewon district of the South Korean capital Seoul during Halloween gatherings, rose overnight, the authorities said Tuesday.

At least 156 people were killed and 151 others injured in the incident, according to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety. Twenty-six foreigners from 14 countries were among those killed.

The death toll could grow further as 29 people were in critical condition.

The incident was believed to have been caused by huge crowds surging into a narrow hilly alley and toppling over one another at the popular nightlife district in Seoul.

Most of the victims were those in their late teens, 20s and 30s. Among the dead, 101 were women who are relatively not strong enough to bear the crush.

The shortage of police officers to control the crowd, who got trapped and crushed on the overcrowded streets, was believed to have fueled the country's deadliest disaster since a ferry sinking incident left 304 people dead in 2014.

The government has announced a one-week national mourning period over the tragedy until Saturday.