A 23-story apartment building collapsed in the Pyongchon District, Pyongyong, North Korea's capital on May 13 while was under construction, according to North Korea's Central News Agency (KCNA). However, the number of casualties is not specified in the report.

North Korean senior officials have rarely issued an official apology for the accident and expressed deep consolation to families and citizens, as South Korean news agency Yonhap News reports Sunday.

Yonhap News cites the state media that "the construction of an apartment house was not done properly, and officials supervised and controlled it in an irresponsible manner." Rescue efforts have been formed based on a "state emergency mechanism" and wounded are being treated, says KCNA.

KCNA also quotes a senior official in its English report saying that Leader "Kim Jong-un sat up all night, feeling painful after being told about the accident, instructed leading officials of the party, state and the army to rush to the scene, putting aside all other affairs, and command the rescue operation to recover from the damage as early as possible".

Based on reporting from Yonhap, a South Korean government official explains that "in North Korea, it is common that people move into a new apartment even before the construction is completed. About 92 households may have been living in the apartment".

Therefore, Seoul officials suspect that a "considerable" number of people may have been killed in the accident, says Yonhap.

Yonhap also notes that it is rare for North Korean state media to reveal facts about an accident.

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