The South Korean government on Thursday sent an emergency response team to China to handle a deadly tourist bus accident that killed 10 Koreans and one Chinese, officials said. 
 

On Wednesday afternoon, a bus carrying 28 passengers fell 15 meters into a river from a 4-meter-wide bridge in the northeastern Chinese city of Jian, killing 11, including nine Korean public servants and one Korean tour guide. The injured are under treatment, with five in critical condition, the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs said.

Some 140 Korean public servants were visiting the neighboring country as part of a five-day work training program headed by the Local Government Officials Training Institute, which is under the Government Administration Ministry, officials said. They were sharing six buses to move to a different region.

While the exact cause of the accident is under investigation, the Chinese driver was reportedly speeding, according to the survivors, the authorities said.

The driver was pronounced dead the day after being rushed to the hospital. The bridge had reportedly never been repaired over the past 30 years, Chinese news outlets reported. 
 

An emergency task force led by Government Administration Vice Minister Chung Chae-gun left for the accident site to support the families of the victims and the wounded. Dozens of families of the victims also headed to China.

Officials at the Korean Consulate in Shenyang were also sent to Jian to support the accident response.

Earlier in the day, Minister Chong Jong-sup apologized for the deadly accident.

“I express my deep condolences to the victims and the bereaved families. I apologize to the public for the accident that happened during the training program,” he said.

He pledged for the full support of the bereaved families and the wounded.

Some municipality governments here said they would set up memorial altars to offer their condolences.

By Lee Hyun-jeong (rene@heraldcorp.com)