NEWS: Train Explosion in North Korea; 161 Dead & 1300 Injured

In a secretive society where news rarely gets out, intelligence sources are reporting that hundreds of people died and thousands were injured in a huge explosion in a North Korean train station in Pyongyang. North Korean leader Kim Jong-il had passed through the same train station just a few hours before. Fox News quoting South Korean news sources are reporting that the trains were carrying oil and liquified petroleum, but conflicting stories have emerged since. North Korea, breaking a 2-day silence on the matter, first blamed the blast on "dynamite" ignited carelessly by a power line before saying there was ammonium nitrate involved.
It is being reported that North Korea has cut international phone lines to prevent information regarding the explosion to get out.
The death toll is expected to rise as rescue workers dig through the rubble of the demolished buildings & houses.
Millions of dollars in aid has been pledged from several countries and organizations such as the Red Cross and the UN.

Reuters

6,350 homes were damaged in the resulting explosion; 1,850 homes and a dozen public buildings and were completely destroyed.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency, quoting sources in the Chinese city of Dandong on the border with the North, said the explosion occurred about 1 p.m. at Ryongchon. It said Kim passed through nine hours earlier, returning to Pyongyang. Ryongchon is about 12 miles from the Chinese border.

"The station was destroyed as if hit by a bombardment and debris flew high into the sky," Yonhap said, quoting the unidentified Chinese sources.

North Korea appears to have cut international telephone lines to the area to prevent information about the explosion getting out, Yonhap added. The North appears to have declared a type of emergency in the area.

"We have not yet received official information on the accident. We are trying to confirm the report," a Unification Ministry spokesman said in Seoul. Other officials at various government agencies also had no information.

Residents in Pyongyang said by telephone there was nothing unusual in the capital. North Korean television was broadcasting military songs and music -- standard evening fare.


Overseas officials have confirmed a massive blast in North Korea feared to have left thousands dead and wounded.
But authorities in the secretive state have not acknowledged any disaster, nearly a day after two fuel trains were reported to have collided.

South Korean media reports talk of up to 3,000 people killed or injured in Ryongchon, 50km from China's border.

Details remain scarce and there are conflicting reports of survivors going to China, or Pyongyang asking for help.

Confirmation of the blast came from Washington and Seoul.

"There clearly was a large explosion there of some sort," a US official said.


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Thousands Dead or Injured in N.Korea Rail Blast-YTN


[Edited on 26-4-2004 by Banshee]

There is always drama. Cant wait to see the cause.

Sounds like the was has started.imo

"Al Q'aeda" strikes one of the three evil countries???

...hmmm

Originally posted by mepatriot
"Al Q'aeda" strikes one of the three evil countries???

...hmmm

There is no proof of this.

More info'...
news.com.au...
S

Originally posted by SpittinCobra

Originally posted by mepatriot
"Al Q'aeda" strikes one of the three evil countries???

...hmmm

There is no proof of this.

Al Q'aeda and NK hate the US, why would one attack the other?

I have not seen anything on the cable news networks yet.....
That is not really doing much to convince me that my low-opinion of them is wrong.

Michael Jackson is getting more coverage right now.....

This was either a really unfortunate accident or an attempt on Kim Jyong-il's life that went wrong and missed him by several hours. I cannot see how this would be Al-Qaeda related, North Korea is not our ally and is not involved in the war on Iraq.

''I didn't see a thing"
www.kcna.co.jp...

Neither did i.

Originally posted by sanctum
''I didn't see a thing"
www.kcna.co.jp...

Neither did i.

Thats intresting, How can our news have it first?

Originally posted by sanctum
''I didn't see a thing"
www.kcna.co.jp...

Neither did i.

that was the first link I checked too, and still nothing. I think it is North Korean policy to keep its negative news to itself.

Originally posted by SpittinCobra

Originally posted by sanctum
''I didn't see a thing"
www.kcna.co.jp...

Neither did i.

Thats intresting, How can our news have it first?

That link was to an arm of the NK press, via a Tokyo arm.

www.cnn.com...


CNN is reporting that it was two trains that collided...

CNN) -- Two trains have collided and exploded in North Korea near the Chinese border, according to South Korean media.

The incident happened about 1 p.m. local time in the city of Ryongchon, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Chinese border, Yonhap said.

I finally see it on MSNBC......

My low opinion of TV has not been shaken though.....

My thoughts go out to the families of the lost.....

Well, whatever happened, that's a lot of people injured. damn.

[Edited on 22-4-2004 by parrhesia]

Originally posted by titian
Al Q'aeda and NK hate the US, why would one attack the other?

Get them involved in the game...thats why

this story is strange, North Korea has reportedly cut internation telephone lines to prevent information from getting out, and they are not even reporting it on any of their news sources.

Still 0 from...
www.nhk.or.jp...

This 'event/ terr' act is weird. But, N.K is broke.
Infrastructure. (food)
S.

Originally posted by Facefirst
I finally see it on MSNBC......
My thoughts go out to the families of the lost.....

Agreed. It would be as horiffic as our 9/11 disaster... trying to find your kids or husband in that mess.

I think they had to 'fess up both because China might think it was some hostile action and because an explosion of that magnitude probably showed up on the seismographs.