BEIJING
At least 11 South Koreans have been killed in a bus crash in China's northeast, provoking an official apology from the Korean government.
Almost 30 Korean citizens were on board the coach when it fell 15 meters into a river in Liangshui Township in Ji'an City, Jilin Province, Wednesday
“I offer a sincere apology to the people that the accident occurred while on a field trip," South Korea Public Administration Minister Chong Jong-sup said at a briefing in the capital Seoul on Thursday
Yonhap news agency reported that nine public servants were on board.
Seoul has sent an emergency response team to the site.
Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that 17 others have been injured.
The accident happened Wednesday afternoon when the bus carrying 26 passengers fell off a bridge.
Xinhua quoted An Jinxin, head of the hospital in Ji'an, as saying that the Chinese driver died early Thursday morning in hospital after emergency treatment failed.
The bus was heading to Dandong City from Yanji City.
Jilin lies in the central part of northeastern China, bordering Russia and North Korea.
* Anadolu Agency correspondent Alex Jensen contributed to this story from South Korea
