N Korean Bus Crash Kills 32 Chinese Tourists

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

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

"We are investigating the cause" of the accident he told a regular press briefing, hours after Beijing reported "heavy casualties" in the crash.

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 percent 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. (AP, AFP)