In South Korea, families of the victims of a Halloween crowd crush in Seoul have lashed out at the government of President Yoon Suk-yeol for failing to prevent the tragedy.

The crush in the capital's Itaewon district on October 29 left 158 people dead, including two Japanese citizens and many other foreigners. Another 196 people were injured.

Local media say police and the fire department received numerous calls hours before the accident saying there were too many people, and warning that some could be crushed to death. But the authorities reportedly did nothing.

Families of the victims spoke at a news conference in Seoul on Tuesday for the first time since the accident.

A mother who lost her son said the whole family has been suffering so much they want to die.

She said the accident was caused by the authorities' inaction. She called it murder.

Other families also criticized the government and the police, while some attendees cried as they listened.

A special investigative team from South Korea's National Police Agency has been looking into how the police in charge of the Itaewon district and top local municipal officials responded to the accident.