Two tourists from the Republic of Korea (ROK) died and at least 30 were injured when the bus they were traveling in overturned in the northeastern China province of Jilin on Thursday morning, police and rescuers said.

The bus, carrying 37 people, including 34 Koreans and three Chinese, overturned at around 9 AM on State Highway 303, about 20 kilometers from the city of Ji'an, said an unnamed border police officer who joined the rescue work.

In addition to the two deaths, the rescuer said nearly everyone else on the bus was injured. "The bus was seriously damaged in the accident: its roof was gone and was later found in a roadside ditch. All its windows were smashed."

Traffic on the highway was in a standstill for at least two hours after the accident.

All the injured were hospitalized in Ji'an, and police are investigating the cause of the accident.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2008)