A memorial service was held in Seoul on Sunday to mark the first anniversary of the Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon that claimed 159 lives.

Before the main memorial event at 5 p.m., a joint prayer service of the nation’s four major religions – Protestantism, Buddhism, Won Buddhism, and Catholicism – was held at 2 p.m. at an exit of Itaewon Station near the site of the tragedy, with leaders from each religion conducting prayers and rituals for the souls of the victims.

According to the organizer’s estimate, about 500 people, including 100 bereaved family members, attended the service before departing on a march from Itaewon past the Yongsan presidential office and north toward Seoul Plaza, the venue for the main memorial event.

The bereaved families called for the swift parliamentary passage of a special law on the tragedy to open an independent investigation.

Earlier, Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul also held a memorial mass at noon.