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Foreign leaders expressed condolences over the deadly crowd surge in Seoul's Itaewon district, with more than 20 foreign nationals from 15 countries among those killed in the crush in a popular nightspot.

South Korea's President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a period of national mourning on Sunday after the Halloween crush on Saturday night killed some 153 people.

South Korea's foreign ministry put the total at 26 foreign nationals killed from 15 countries. A ministry official told Reuters the dead included people from China, Iran and Russia.

Two Japanese nationals, a woman in her twenties and another woman between the age of 10 and 19, were also confirmed to have died in the crush, an official at Japan's foreign ministry said.

"I am greatly shocked and deeply saddened by the loss of many precious lives, including young people with a bright future, as a result of the very tragic accident," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said in a statement.

At least four Chinese nationals were among those killed, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Chinese embassy in Seoul.

"On behalf of the Chinese government and people, I would like to express deep condolences to the victims and extend sincere condolences to their families and the injured," President Xi Jinping said in a letter, according to Xinhua.

Xi said some Chinese citizens were also injured, and hoped South Korea "will make every effort to cure and deal with the aftermath."

Four Russian citizens died, the RIA news agency reported, citing the Russian embassy in South Korea.

"Please convey words of sincere sympathy and support to the families and friends of the victims, and also wishes for the swift recovery of all the injured," President Vladimir Putin said in a Telegram to Yoon.

U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden sent their condolences, writing: "We grieve with the people of the Republic of Korea and send our best wishes for a quick recovery to all those who were injured."

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak tweeted: "All our thoughts are with those currently responding and all South Koreans at this very distressing time."

One Norwegian citizen was confirmed to have died in the crush, a spokesperson for Norway's foreign ministry said, declining to provide any details.

"I am devastated by news of the terrible incident in connection with Halloween celebrations in Seoul," Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt said in a statement. "My deepest condolences to families and friends who lost their loved ones. My thoughts are with those affected by this tragedy."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tweeted: "I’m thinking of everyone affected by this tragedy, and wishing a fast and full recovery to those who were injured."

Pope Francis, addressing the faithful in St Peter's Square on Sunday, said "we also pray ... for those, especially young people, who died overnight in Seoul due to the tragic consequences of a sudden stampede."

"Italy is close to the Korean people in this moment of great sorrow and profound sadness," Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Twitter. (Reuters)

Hundreds of people fell into a river when a suspension bridge in India's western Gujarat state collapsed on Sunday and a number of them have been hurt, officials said.

More than 400 people were on the bridge in the town of Morbi at the time and were plunged into the Machchu River, local TV channel Zee News said.

"People fell in the river and there are casualties. We don’t have the numbers yet. The rescue operations are going on," Rahul Tripathi, a senior police official at the scene, told Reuters.

Footage broadcast by the TV channel showed dozens of people clinging onto the cables of the collapsed bridge as emergency teams sought to rescue them.

The 230-metre historic bridge was built during British rule in the 19th century. It had been closed for renovation for six months and was reopened for the public last week.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in his home state Gujarat for a three-day visit, said he has directed the state chief minister to mobilise teams urgently for the rescue operation. (Reuters)

The United States said on Friday its policy towards North Korea had not changed after a senior U.S. official responsible for nuclear policy raised some eyebrows by saying Washington would be willing to engage in arms-control talks with Pyongyang.

Some experts argue that recognizing North Korea as a nuclear-armed state, something Pyongyang seeks, is a prerequisite for such talks. But Washington has long argued that the North Korean nuclear program is illegal and subject to United Nations sanctions.

Bonnie Jenkins, State Department under secretary for arms control, was asked at a Washington nuclear conference on Thursday at which point North Korea should be treated as an arms-control problem.

"If they would have a conversation with us ... arms control can always be an option if you have two willing countries willing to sit down at the table and talk," she replied.

"And not just arms control, but risk reduction - everything that leads up to a traditional arms-control treaty and all the different aspects of arms control that we can have with them. We’ve made it very clear to the DPRK ... that we’re ready to talk to them - we have no pre-conditions," she said, referring to North Korea by the initials of its official name.

Referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, she added: "If he picked up the phone and said, 'I want to talk about arms control,' we're not going to say no. I think, if anything, we would want to explore what that means."

The United States and its allies are concerned that North Korea may be about to resume nuclear bomb testing for the first time since 2017, something that would be highly unwelcome to the Biden administration ahead of mid-term elections early next month. North Korea has rejected U.S. calls to return to talks.

Asked about Jenkins' comment, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said: "I want to be very clear about this. There has been no change to U.S. policy."

Price said U.S. policy remained "the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," while adding, "we continue to be open to diplomacy with the DPRK, we continue to reach out to the DPRK, we're committed to pursuing a diplomatic approach. We're prepared to meet without preconditions and we call on the DPRK to engage in serious and sustained diplomacy."

'KIM JONG UN'S TRAP'

Speaking on Friday at the same nuclear policy conference Jenkins addressed, Alexandra Bell, another senior State Department arms-control official, also stressed there was no change in U.S. policy.

Asked if it was time to accept North Korea as a nuclear state, she replied: "Wording aside, we are committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. We do not accept North Korea with that status. But we are interested in having a conversation with the North Koreans."

Daniel Russel, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asia under then-President Barack Obama and now with the Asia Society, told Reuters Jenkins had "fallen straight into Kim Jong Un's trap" with her remarks.

"Suggesting that North Korea only has to agree to have a conversation with the U.S. about arms control and risk reduction is a terrible mistake, because it moves the issue from North Korea’s right to possess nuclear weapons to the question of how many it should have and how they are used," he said.

"Kim would love nothing better than to push his risk reduction agenda — the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Korea."

Other experts played down Jenkins' remarks.

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the U.S.-based Arms Control Association, said she was not making a statement recognizing North Korea as a nuclear weapons state under the international Non-Proliferation Treaty.

"She was acknowledging, as other officials in other administrations have, that North Korea does have nuclear weapons, but in violation of its commitments under the NPT not to pursue nuclear weapons," he told Reuters.

Kimball and Toby Dalton, a nuclear expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, which hosted the nuclear conference, said they did not see formal recognition as a nuclear-armed state as a prerequisite for arms-control talks. Dalton said Jenkins appeared essentially to be restating the U.S. position that it was willing to talk to Pyongyang without preconditions. (Reuters)

Japan will set up a new joint command to manage the operations of its land, sea and air forces, the Nikkei newspaper reported on Saturday, as part of a major defence overhaul in the face of China's increasing assertiveness over Taiwan.

The government aims to have the joint command functioning by 2024. It will be tasked with coordinating strategies and boosting Japan's defence cooperation with the U.S. military, Nikkei reported.

The defence ministry could not be reached for comment outside regular business hours.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's government is boosting its military spending in response to China's growing might and geopolitical uncertainty over Taiwan and North Korea's missile developments.

The new arrangements will be included in the defence overhaul that the government will unveil by the year-end, Nikkei said.

The joint command will be overseen by a joint commander, a newly created position that will report directly to Japan's defence minister, it added. (Reuters)