North Korea bus accident claims 32 Chinese, 4 natives

The tragedy took place in North Hwanghae province: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang.

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Lu Kang said on April 23, 2018 that 32 Chinese nationals died in a major bus accident in North Korea

 A traffic accident in southern North Korea has killed 32 Chinese tourists and four North Koreans, Chinese officials said on Monday.

The accident occurred on Sunday night in North Hwanghae province, south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said.

Mangled wreckage

Footage on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed the mangled wreckage of a bus in the dark with rain falling. Rescue vehicles were on the scene, and injured were shown being treated in hospital.

China and North Korea share a lengthy border. China is North Korea's largest trading partner, although commerce has dropped off by about 90 per cent under United Nations sanctions.

Details on the dead and injured and the circumstances of the accident were not immediately disclosed. Chinese diplomats reached in Pyongyang said they would issue a statement later.

Chinese largest number of visitors

Chinese tourists are among the largest groups of visitors to the isolated, hard-line communist state, often paying homage at sites related to China’s military intervention in the 1950-53 Korean War.