US vice president visits former Nazi concentration camp

US Vice President Mike Pence paid a sombre visit to the site of the Dachau concentration camp on Sunday, walking along the grounds where tens of thousands of people were killed during World War II.

Pence was joined by his wife, Karen Pence, and the couple's 23-year-old daughter, Charlotte, as they toured the exhibits at the former concentration camp that was established by the Nazis in 1933 near Munich.

The vice president was accompanied by Abba Naor, a survivor of the camp, and other dignitaries as he passed through the wrought iron gate bearing the inscription, "Arbeit macht frei," or "Work sets you free."

The Pences placed a wreath beneath the International Memorial at the centre of the camp, toured the barracks and viewed the ovens inside the crematorium.

The Pences also stopped at religious memorials at the site and later attended a church service on the camp's grounds.

More than 200,000 people from across Europe were held at Dachau, and more than 40,000 prisoners died there. The camp was liberated by US forces in April 1945.

Former Vice President Joe Biden visited Dachau during a trip to Germany in 2015.

Making his first overseas trip as vice president, Pence spoke to foreign diplomats and defence officials at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday and met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other world leaders.

Pence was travelling to Brussels later Sunday for meetings on Monday with NATO and European Union officials.