A group of 44 North Koreans dashed into the Canadian Embassy in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon in an apparent bid to seek asylum.

One was caught while trying to take refuge at the embassy and is now being investigated by Chinese authorities.

The South Korean Embassy in Beijing says the North Koreans sneaked into the Canadian Embassy at about one Wednesday afternoon and that it was trying to identify them and figure out where they came from.

A Canadian Embassy official said the alleged defectors cut the barbed-wire on the wall surrounding the embassy in order to break into the compound.

The official said the group consists of families that have been preparing to seek asylum for several months.

After the North Koreans entered the embassy compound, an iron ladder believed to have been used to climb over the fence of the compound was found on a sidewalk about 50 meters away from the main gate of the embassy.

It was one of the largest groups ever to enter into a diplomatic compound in the Chinese capital.

The number of northern defectors to South Korea has been rising in recent years, reaching almost one thousand-300 last year.