North Korea

By Jethro Mullen, CNN

updated 3:21 PM EDT, Sun May 18, 2014

North Korean officials stand among the families of victims of the building collapse in Pyongyang, North Korea, on May 17.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- An apartment building in the North Korean capital collapsed in what state media described as a "serious accident" that caused an unspecified number of casualties.

The unusual, apologetic report Sunday from the North's state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the collapse took place Tuesday at the construction site of an apartment building in Phyongchon, a central district of Pyongyang.

"The accident claimed casualties," the agency reported without providing details on the number of peopled killed and injured. Rescue efforts were abandoned on Saturday, the agency said.

A South Korean government official said the building had 23 floors, estimating that as many as 92 families might have been living inside. It's common for people to move into North Korean buildings before construction is completed, the official said.

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North Korea