At least 10 South Korean government officials who were on an overseas trip to China were killed on Wednesday afternoon as a bus that carried them fell off a bridge in Jian, in the northeastern province of Jilin, an official said.

The bus, headed to the Chinese border town of Dandong, was carrying about 25 South Korean officials and a travel guide.

The accident took place around 2 p.m., said the official at the South Korean Consulate in the northeastern Chinese city of Shenyang.

Initially, about six to seven people were feared dead. But the number of casualties could go up, the official said, adding that the extent of their injuries was not immediately clear.

“As of now, 10 were found dead. ... We are trying to figure out the exact situation of damages,” the official was quoted by Yonhap as saying.

The victims are involved in the Local Government Officials Development Institute, which is affiliated with South Korea‘s Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs.

South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said it has dispatched a team of officials to the accident site and to work closely with Chinese officials for an immediate rescue mission.

(From news reports)