The South Korean government sent an emergency team to China on Thursday to assist coping with the aftermath of a deadly bus accident in China's northeastern Jilin province, which killed 10 South Korean tourists and a Chinese driver.
The team of 11 officials will offer convenience to the families of the victims and help them return to South Korea. It will also discuss about the funeral and compensation issues with them, according to officials of South Korea's Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs.
A bus, carrying 28 passengers including 26 South Koreans, fell off a bridge into the river in Ji'an city on Wednesday when it was traveling to the border city of Dandong.
The death toll has risen to 11 as of Thursday, with 17 others injured, Chinese local authorities said.
The latest death was the Chinese driver, who died on early Wednesday morning in a hospital after emergency treatment failed, said An Jinxin, head of the hospital in Ji'an. The other 10 South Korean victims were mainly government employees.
The 11-member team planned to visit the wounded in Changchun, the capital city of Jilin province, before heading to Ji'an where a mourning hall has been established for the victims.
South Korean Minister of Security and Public Administration Chong Jong-sup apologized for the bus accident on Thursday, expressing profound condolences to the deceased and deep sympathy to the families of the victims.
The Chinese embassy in South Korea told Xinhua that it has assisted some family members of local South Korean government employees involved in the accident to get the emergency visa to China. Most of them will directly receive visa-on-arrival when landing China.
Some family members began arriving at a funeral hall in Ji'an, according to South Korea's Yohap news agency.
Eight of the 16 injured were still in serious condition and the injuries of a 36-year-old Korean passenger were life-threatening, according to An from the Ji'an hospital.
The South Korean victims were part of a 148-person tour group composed mainly of government employees under a training program organized by an institute of South Korea's Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs.
The group was planning to visit historical sites including places where Korean independence fighters fight against Japan's colonial rule before the end of World War II from June 29 to July 3, the ministry said.
The cause of the accident was still under investigation, according to Chinese officials.
