A BUS crash in North Korea has claimed the lives of 36 people today.

China's foreign ministry confirmed 32 Chinese tourists and four North Koreans had been killed in a "major traffic accident".

4 'Dozens' of Chinese tourists have reportedly been killed in a bus crash in North Korea

Two other Chinese tourists were badly injured and were in "acutely serious condition," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It said China had dispatched a medical team accompanied by diplomats to assist the North Korean side.

The accident occurred Sunday night in North Hwanghae province, south of Pyongyang, North Korea's capital, ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a regularly scheduled news conference.

Footage on Chinese state broadcaster CCTV showed the mangled wreckage of a bus in the dark with rain falling.

4 Emergency services were on the scene in the communist country following the incident Credit: Twitter/CGTNOfficial

#BREAKING Major casualties involving a large number of #Chinese tourists occurred after serious traffic accident in province not far from Pyongyang, #DPRK, foreign ministry confirms pic.twitter.com/euI9UY89YI — CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) April 23, 2018

Rescue vehicles were on the scene, and the injured were shown being treated in a hospital.

The ministry says the crash occurred Sunday night in North Hwanghae province, south of the capital Pyongyang.

Chinese diplomats in Pyongyang earlier issued a statement saying:“Relevant details are currently being verified.

4 Chinese state news agency CGTN in a tweet reported that the fatal accident had been caused by the bus coming off a bridge

4 In a statement, the Chinese embassy said the accident had taken place in North Hwanghae Province on Sunday, and that it had resulted in “heavy casualties.”

“The Working Group of the Chinese Embassy in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, accompanied by the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, rushed to the scene of the incident.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has activated the emergency mechanism overnight and is fully engaged in the disposal work.”

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Rescue vehicles were on the scene and injured were shown being treated in hospital.

China and North Korea share a lengthy border and China is North Korea's largest trading partner.

Chinese tourists are among the largest groups of visitors to the isolated, hard-line communist state.

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