S. Korea grieves loss of 11 children in China bus fire

By Alex Jensen

SEOUL (AA) - Acting South Korean President Hwang Kyo-ahn expressed “grave sadness” Tuesday over the deaths of 11 kindergarten students and their school bus driver earlier in the day.

Ten of the kids were South Korean according to Seoul’s embassy in Beijing. A Chinese student was also killed when flames engulfed the bus in a tunnel in the eastern province of Shandong.

South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency also reported that a teacher was seriously injured.

It is not known what caused the accident, but photos posted on social media showed a bus on fire and black smoke coming from Taojiakuang Tunnel in Weihai.

Hwang ordered South Korea’s Foreign Ministry to make available “all diplomatic resources” and to keep affected relatives up to date.

Seoul was heavily criticized for its response to a major ferry disaster in 2010. The South recently marked the third anniversary of the Sewol sinking, which claimed 304 lives after a botched rescue effort.