A bus carrying the children was traveling through a tunnel in the port city of Weihai, in East China's Shandong province, on its way to a Korean international school on Tuesday, when it crashed and burst into flames. Eleven young children perished in the accident, as did the driver.
The children, between the ages of three and six, died at the scene. The Korean Embassy in China has reportedly confirmed that 10 of the 11 kindergartners killed were Korean and one child was Chinese. The bus driver was killed and a Chinese teacher on board was badly burnt, according to China Daily.
The bus reportedly collided with a vehicle directly in front of it. Investigators are attempting to discern the cause of the subsequent explosion.
Emergency facilities have been set up by the consulate general in Qingdao, according to the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. At least eight officials are in place to assist in the aftermath, as reported by South Korea's JoongAng Daily, offering support for the families of the victims.