Tragedy In North Korea

[j2k4]

This apparently just happened a short while ago at a depot or station where Kim Jong-Il had gone through mere hours before, though nobody is, as yet, leaping to any conclusions about that.

Details are, of course, very sketchy; this incident was sussed by the South Korean military.

Post if you can add anything, OK?

[{I}{K}{E}]

http://images.fok.nl/upload/explosie-nkorea.jpg

I read 3000 deaths,
1 train was loaded with oil and the other with LPG

http://images.fok.nl/upload/explosie-nkorea-kaart.gif


Stupid is that Korea closed all phoneconnections in the whole COUNTRY so this could not be reported 2 other countries :huh:

[DanB]

Originally posted by {I}{K}{E}@22 April 2004 - 18:40
http://images.fok.nl/upload/explosie-nkorea.jpg

I read 3000 deaths,
1 train was loaded with oil and the other with LPG

http://images.fok.nl/upload/explosie-nkorea-kaart.gif


Stupid is that Korea closed all phoneconnections in the whole COUNTRY so this could not be reported 2 other countries :huh:
They are a very cagey country, they don't like nothing to get out about what they are up too.

Sad event though :(


N Korea train blast 'kills many'
The North Korean leader's train passed through hours earlier
Up to 3,000 people have been killed or injured in a huge explosion after two fuel trains collided in North Korea, reports say.

The blast happened at Ryongchon station, 50km north of Pyongyang, South Korea's YTN television said.

The incident reportedly happened nine hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong-il passed through the station on his way home from a visit to Beijing.

Mr Kim had been in China to discuss North Korea's nuclear programme.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the colliding trains were carrying gasoline and gas, and that they crashed at around 1300 local time (0400 GMT).

'Bombardment'

The report was based on information from unnamed Chinese sources near the border with North Korea, said news agencies.

It was not possible to obtain independent confirmation of the number of casualties, as North Korea is notoriously secretive and rarely reports its own accidents.

World's worst rail disasters

"The station was destroyed as if hit by a bombardment and debris flew high into the sky," Yonhap quoted its sources as saying.

The BBC's Kevin Kim in the South Korean capital, Seoul, says there are various theories about the explosion, including speculation that it may have been an assassination attempt against the North Korean leader.

However, he says this has been dismissed by the South Korean authorities, who believe it was an accident.

Emergency

Our correspondent says another theory is that liquefied petroleum gas carried in one of the trains was a gift from China to North Korea after Mr Kim's visit to Beijing.

Yonhap said the North Korean authorities had declared a state of emergency in the area and cut off all international telephone lines, apparently to stop news of the accident spreading.

The agency quoted a South Korean defence ministry official as confirming that the explosion had taken place.

But a Chinese railway worker at the Dandong border crossing, contacted by Reuters news agency, said he had not heard of a blast and had seen no signs of any emergency effort under way.

[j2k4]

I heard another report regarding the media blackout; something to the effect these types of disasters happen in N. Korea fairly often, but aren't reported.

Apparently the proximity to China and/or the placement/abilities of S. Korean military capability is the only reason we are hearing anything at all.

I also hear an offer of aid is being considered by the U.S.; hope Kim's not so coy as to turn it down out of his own vanity-commentators are already speculating this could happen. :huh:

[DanB]

Originally posted by j2k4@22 April 2004 - 19:47
I also hear an offer of aid is being considered by the U.S.; hope Kim's not so coy as to turn it down out of his own vanity-commentators are already speculating this could happen. :huh:
I wouldn't be at all surprised if that didn't happen.

it was only a short while ago that there was dissagreements between the two countries is it not? Something to do with the nuclear capabilities and general axis of evil mutterings

[SeK612]

3,000 :o

The trains were supposed to be carrying fuel. The picture thats being shown is just a reconstruction picture as there are very few pictures and a media blackout. Nothing is being shown on North Korean TV about the accident and the casualties.

[j2k4]

Originally posted by danb+22 April 2004 - 12:56--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (danb @ 22 April 2004 - 12:56)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-j2k4@22 April 2004 - 19:47
I also hear an offer of aid is being considered by the U.S.; hope Kim&#39;s not so coy as to turn it down out of his own vanity-commentators are already speculating this could happen. :huh:
I wouldn&#39;t be at all surprised if that didn&#39;t happen.

it was only a short while ago that there was dissagreements between the two countries is it not? Something to do with the nuclear capabilities and general axis of evil mutterings [/b][/quote]
This would be what one might call an "extra-political" situation; regardless of what has passed recently, we would still tender help.

Please inform me if you weren&#39;t attempting sarcasm?

[DanB]

Originally posted by j2k4+22 April 2004 - 22:20--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (j2k4 @ 22 April 2004 - 22:20)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by danb@22 April 2004 - 12:56
<!--QuoteBegin-j2k4@22 April 2004 - 19:47
I also hear an offer of aid is being considered by the U.S.; hope Kim&#39;s not so coy as to turn it down out of his own vanity-commentators are already speculating this could happen. :huh:
I wouldn&#39;t be at all surprised if that didn&#39;t happen.

it was only a short while ago that there was dissagreements between the two countries is it not? Something to do with the nuclear capabilities and general axis of evil mutterings
This would be what one might call an "extra-political" situation; regardless of what has passed recently, we would still tender help.

Please inform me if you weren&#39;t attempting sarcasm? [/b][/quote]
I didn&#39;t mean America not offering help :lol: I meant North Korea not accepting it

[j2k4]

Sorry-

Thought you meant we had rhetorically talked them out of accepting aid by virtue of our diplomatic efforts. ;)

One never knows, around here. :)

[sArA]

Originally posted by j2k4@22 April 2004 - 21:48
Sorry-

Thought you meant we had rhetorically talked them out of accepting aid by virtue of our diplomatic efforts. ;)

One never knows, around here. :)
I know that the US gets a lot of flack...some justified, some not, but their willingness to suppy aid in a tragedy is one that I would not fault. It is nearly always the US who offers first.

[MagicNakor]

The trains were supposed to be carrying fuel.

The line that the trains were on is the main one for the country, so it is likely that the victims were people in the station, waiting for their own train, not passengers upon the fuel tankers.

:ninja:

[j2k4]

Originally posted by MagicNakor@22 April 2004 - 19:11

The trains were supposed to be carrying fuel.

The line that the trains were on is the main one for the country, so it is likely that the victims were people in the station, waiting for their own train, not passengers upon the fuel tankers.

:ninja:
Thanks for that tidbit, MN.

I fear we&#39;ll be fitting pieces together for a while, eh?

I think there is an object lesson here.

Many of our younger members have never seen a press blackout in action; hope they&#39;re paying attention.

[MagicNakor]

Press blackouts are scary things. There&#39;s nothing like knowing *something* is going on, but having no idea *what* that something is.

Of course, it&#39;s entirely likely that we&#39;ll never know what really happened until a few decades from now. Reports from secretive countries tend to leak out very slowly. After all, new information from the USSR is still surfacing. On the other hand, things like the internet make such leaks much easier, but that&#39;s relying on someone from inside North Korea being able to post such information to the outside world, without having it being removed immediately.

:ninja:

[j2k4]

Originally posted by MagicNakor@22 April 2004 - 23:51
Press blackouts are scary things. There&#39;s nothing like knowing *something* is going on, but having no idea *what* that something is.

Of course, it&#39;s entirely likely that we&#39;ll never know what really happened until a few decades from now. Reports from secretive countries tend to leak out very slowly. After all, new information from the USSR is still surfacing. On the other hand, things like the internet make such leaks much easier, but that&#39;s relying on someone from inside North Korea being able to post such information to the outside world, without having it being removed immediately.

:ninja:
"Scary" is surely the proper way to put it.

I find myself also thinking of the Soviets, specifically Chernybol.

I remember being consumed by the thought that they&#39;d slam the lid on that. :blink:

[MagicNakor]

I don&#39;t know if you&#39;ve seen this, but it really is harrowing. Elena is a brave girl.

http://www.angelfire.com/extreme4/kiddofspeed/

:ninja:

[ilw]

I think quite a lot of the deaths are gonna be from farther afield than the station

The explosion partially destroyed 6,350 houses, John Sparrow, a spokesman for the International Red Cross in Beijing told the BBC.

[dwightfry]

The estimated death toll has dropped significantly. Right now it is at 150 dead, roughly 1294 injured. And the trains had explosives on them, not oil.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...sion_death_toll (http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=516&e=2&u=/ap/20040423/ap_on_re_as/nkorea_train_explosion_death_toll)

[SeK612]

The reports are still sketchy though. North Korea is keeping very quiet and the reports are supposedly coming from aid workers. South Korea and China have offered help but North Korea haven&#39;t accept or declined it yet. North Korea is still not reporting on this and it seems this is common (no foreign radio or TV channels and restricted email). They may also have closed their borders and the restriction of foreigners id still very severe.