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Prince William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, shared a personal message following the tragic incident that took place in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, on Saturday. Sharing the statement on their official Twitter account, William said: “Catherine and I send all our love and prayers to the parents, families and loved ones of those tragically lost in Seoul yesterday evening.”

To stress it was coming from the Prince and Princess, the message was signed off with their initials – W and C.

This comes after at least 153 people, mostly teenagers and people in their 20s, were crushed and trampled to death in a narrow alley during Halloween celebrations held in Itaewon, a packed nightlife area of Seoul.

An estimated 100,000 people had flocked to Itaewon on Saturday night after the lifting of social distancing, mask mandates and anti-Covid measures allowed to hold the first major Halloween celebrations since 2019. 

The deadly crush took place shortly after 10pm local time in a narrowed and sloped alleyways located near the Hamilton Hotel. 

The death toll may rise further as approximately 20 of the 82 people injured during the chaotic scenes were reported to be hospitalised and in serious condition. 

So far, there have been 19 people declared dead who were non-Korean, with their nationalities including China, Iran, Norway and Uzbekistan. 

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol declared on Sunday a state of national mourning as he delivered a live address.

He said: “As president, who is responsible for the people’s lives and safety, my heart is heavy and I struggle to cope with my grief.

“The government will designate the period from today until the accident is brought under control as a period of national mourning and will place top priority on administrative affairs in recovery and follow-up measures.”

He added the cause of the incident will be investigated and the government will “make fundamental improvements so that similar accidents do not happen again in the future”.

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