PYONGYANG -- Japan's Tokyo Shimbun reported on Tuesday that about 80 people were killed in North Korea in October when an under construction building of the North Korean National Defense Commission collapsed. An unidentified South Korean government official was quoted by the newspaper as saying that the building was being constructed in Pyongyang and approximately 80 laborers and soldiers of the North Korean People's Army were killed when it collapsed. According to the report, North Korea discreetly removed the remains of the toppled building so it will not be captured by foreign satellites. Media agencies in the reclusive state made no mention about the incident. In May, a 23-story apartment also collapsed in Pyongyang, causing considerable fatalities. However, the tragedy only became known to the rest of the world through tourist accounts and satellite images. North Korea's state media confirmed it a week later and blamed the collapse on poor construction. The report did not mention how many people perished or were injured.