South Korean festival death toll rises to 120

At least 120 people have been killed and hundreds more injured after they were crushed by a large crowd on a narrow street during Halloween festivities in Seoul, South Korean.

Seoul’s Yongsan fire department, said the death toll could rise and that an unspecified number among the injured were in critical conditions following the stampede in the district of Itaewon Saturday night.

74 bodies were sent to hospitals while the bodies of the remaining 46 who had been kept on the streets were being transported to a nearby gym so that workers could identify them.

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

Footage on social media showed many victims lying on the pavement as workers from the emergency services and bystanders performed CPR in an effort to revive them.

More than 800 emergency workers and police officers from around the country, including all available personnel in Seoul, were deployed to the streets to treat the injured.