N Korea road accident causes 'heavy casualties': China

A road accident in North Korea has caused "heavy casualties" among Chinese tourists, China's foreign ministry said today.

The ministry provided few details but China's state broadcaster CGTN earlier tweeted that more than 30 people died when a tour bus fell from a bridge in North Korea. The tweet was later deleted.

China was informed that the accident occurred last night, and its embassy personnel in Pyongyang rushed to the scene and are working to manage the situation, the foreign ministry statement said.

The vast majority of foreign tourists to North Korea are Chinese, with the Cold War-era allies sharing a long land border and operating flights between the two countries.

Tens of thousands of Chinese tourists are believed to visit the North every year, with many crossing via train through the Chinese border city of Dandong.

North Korean roads are largely poor and potholed, and in many areas they are dirt rather than tarmac.