(4th LD) 10 S. Koreans, 1 Chinese killed in China bus plunge

(ATTN: UPDATES with details in last 3 paras; ADDS photo)

JIAN, China/BEIJING/SEOUL, July 2 (Yonhap) -- Ten South Koreans and one Chinese person have been killed in a bus plunge in northeastern China, officials said Thursday.

The accident occurred at around 3:30 p.m. (local time) Wednesday, with the bus plunging 15 meters off the bridge in the northeastern Chinese city of Jian. Most of the Korean passengers were government employees who were on a training program organized by the South Korean government.

The cause of the accident was not immediately clear and the Chinese driver of the bus was pronounced dead earlier Thursday.

China's foreign ministry on Thursday voiced "profound condolences" to the victims and their family members.

"We feel deeply sorry for the deceased and express profound condolences to the injured and the bereaved families," China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular press briefing.

Hua said, "The Chinese side attaches great importance to the accident" and has been in close communication with the South Korean Embassy in Beijing to jointly deal with follow-up measures.

"The deceased will be properly relocated and the injured will receive effective treatment. The Chinese side will do its best to properly deal with follow-up work," Hua said.

A total of 26 South Koreans were on the bus at that time. Of the 16 injured South Koreans, five were seriously hurt, according to South Korean officials here.

South Korea's Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs was sending an 11-member team to the scene of the accident.

Bereaved family members began arriving at a funeral hall in Jian.

The wife of one of the dead, Kim Cheol-kyun, sobbed in front of her husband's coffin, "How can I live without my husband?"

Chinese authorities have banned South Korean journalists from reporting in and outside the funeral hall.

Citing internal regulations, Chinese authorities prohibited South Korean journalists from taking photographs inside the funeral hall.

The home affairs ministry held a meeting with provincial governments to discuss ways to posthumously promote the nine dead officials.

According to related laws, public servants who die in the line of duty are entitled to receive one-rank posthumous promotions.

"Local governments will make a decision on special promotions of their officials," said an official from the ministry.

(END)