UPDATE 1-Chinese tourists among passengers in fatal New Zealand bus crash

Rescue efforts are underway in New Zealand where several people, including Chinese tourists, are feared dead after a bus carrying more than 20 people rolled over on a highway in North Island.

New Zealand police said in a statement that there have been fatalities in the crash, but could not confirm how many were killed. A number of passengers were injured, the police said. A police spokeswoman did not confirm the nationality of the passengers on the bus. The bus rolled over on State Highway 5 near Rotorua, a popular destination for tourist groups from China.

An official at the Chinese Embassy in Wellington told Reuters that Chinese nationals were on board the bus, and they are working with the police to ascertain the number of casualties. Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported that the embassy in New Zealand has launched an emergency plan and the ambassador is heading to the scene.

The New Zealand Herald reported that at least six people were feared dead, and some passengers were still trapped in the wreckage.

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