Trains Collide, Explode in North Korea

Yahoo! News ^ | Thu, Apr 22, 2004

[Kaslin]

SEOUL, South Korea - Thousands of people were believed killed or injured Thursday when two trains carrying oil and liquefied petroleum gas collided and exploded in a North Korean train station, hours after leader Kim Jong Il passed through on his return from a China visit, South Korean news media reported.

The number killed or injured could reach 3,000, said YTN, South Korea (news - web sites)'s all-news cable channel, citing unnamed sources on the China-North Korea (news - web sites) border.

South Korea's Yonhap news agency, quoting sources in the Chinese city of Dandong that borders the North, said the explosion took place around 1 p.m. local time at Ryongchon, nine hours after Kim passed through on his way back to Pyongyang.

Ryongchon is about 12 miles from the Chinese border.

[dennis1x]

John Kerry reportedly hit by shrapnel from explosion.

[Mo1]

FNC just reported on this but they didn't have any other details

[Flux Capacitor]

First, prayers for the dead.

Second, fury that Kim Jong Il barely escaped being among them.

-Dan

[2banana]

John Kerry reportedly hit by shrapnel from explosion.

Three times...

[BenLurkin]

I'm guessing that the Red Chinese were rushing fuel into North Korea (must have reached some kind of understanding) and somebody simply didn't manage the rail traffic adequately.

Now . . . why would Red China be rushing fuel into North Korea?

[eyespysomething]

To help all the impoverished citizens somehow? ( I don't know if this should be /sarcasm or /idiocy)

[proud American in Canada]

How very sad.

[Pete]

The number killed or injured could reach 3,000,

Holy cow! That's horrible.

[CygnusXI]

3000?!?!

[Monty22]

wtf, 9/11 scale disaster from a train crash?

[OXENinFLA]

Thousands

!!!!

[Jeff Head]

Good question.

Another one is...Who will N. Korea blaim?

Such a tragedy could easily be used as a pretext and to fuel passions for war.

Could easily lead to a Dragon's Fury type scenario. I pray it does not.

[RichardW]

3,000. This is truly horrible.

[Mo1]

I'm thinking two trains carrying oil and liquefied petroleum gas would cause one heck of an explosion

[Quilla]

Thanks for the ping. Prayers for these poor, suppressed people.

[Bon mots]

Looks like in addition to a food shortage, they will now have a fuel shortage.

[OXENinFLA]

http://www.reuters.com/locales/newsArticle.jsp;:4087cb5b:e39564acef2090f9?type=worldNews&locale=en_IN&storyID=4908127

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

"We have not yet received official information on the accident. We are trying to confirm the report," a Unification Ministry spokesman said in Seoul.

[stylin_geek]

Something is wrong with this story. Yes, trains carrying LPG and oil can explode, but the way this is described it sounds like it went up pretty much when the two trains collided. Color me sceptical, but it seems to me there may be more than just LPG and oil involved here.

[Ready4Freddy]

*sigh* Timing is everything.....

...nine hours after Kim passed through on his way back to Pyongyang.

[OXENinFLA]

Yeah, this is fishy

[Kaslin]

FNC reported he went through there 9 hours before

[FourPeas]

Wow. How sad.

[OXENinFLA]

And that is way we have STRICT rail rules here in the US.

[Mo1]

Many people were injured on Thursday when two cargo trains collided and exploded at a North Korean station, hours after leader Kim Jong-il passed through on his way back from China, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said.

Should I pull out my tin foil hat?

[BenLurkin]

Okay, I'll be frank.

IF Red China is rushing fuel into North Korea, then IMO it means they are gassing up North Korea's military.

I don't think the Reds are rushing fuel to help the general population.

[al baby]

Something is wrong with this story
Clearly its Bushs Fault

[stylin_geek]

sceptical=skeptical

[Porterville]

I have to ask... what are we up-to or what is Japan up-to in N. Korea?

[stylin_geek]

However, JF Kerry was able, despite grave personal risk, to get a UN resolution passed condemning God for allowing this to happen.

[Mo1]

Now . . . why would Red China be rushing fuel into North Korea?

To cause trouble ??

[eyespysomething]

Oh I know that, I was being sarcastic.

When did Cheney leave China?

[Semper Paratus]

I'm wondering if Dear Leader wasn't there or not. Info coming out of NK redefines the definition of sketchy.

[michigander]

N Korea train blast 'kills many'

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.

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

North Korea rarely reports its own accidents.

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

The report has not yet been confirmed by South Korean officials.

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

[Delta 21]

Thins is how they ride trains over there so 3000 could be a conservative estimate. The pic is from Bangledesh but its pretty common across asia to pack the trains inside and out.

[cspackler]

I would assume that it's not too unusual to ship fuel to NK. Not saying that something isn't going on, but fuel shipments happen all of the time. Not enough details to get too bent out of shape.

[cspackler]

Gee, I din't know North Koreans wore those funny little hats...

[the Real fifi]

The US, South Korea, China have all been supplying food and fuel to N. Korea.

LPG is very dangerous. The explanation is not inherently incredible.

The N. Korean economy is so primitive that an accident like this is not unexpected.

I regret the loss of life, and only wish it had occurred nine hours earlier and the death toll had been 3001. (Beloved psycho's).

[bmwcyle]

It was part of the refined oil as food program.

[templar]

Now . . . why would Red China be rushing fuel into North Korea?

Because North Korea is a very wealthy nation that pays substantially higher than market rates and China desperately needs money?

[the Real fifi]

Because the nation of N. Korea has been run into the ground. Reports earlier this week were that China had given Jong a talking to about his failed state and urged him to adopt capitalism.

Like us China provides fuel and food to prevent an even worse catstrophe which would onl drive countless millions of starving refugess over the border and overwhelm China or South Korea..

[Reader of news]

Maybe this cause a popular uprising against Kim Jong Il's regime, which indeed may fall. It's very rare that this 'accident' has been released.

[freeperfromnj]

Could be Al Qaeda stirring the pot.

Eight U.S. allies targeted in new terror threat received at South Korean Embassy

http://www.nj.com/newsflash/washington/index.ssf?/newsflash/get_story.ssf?/cgi-free/getstory_ssf.cgi?a0507_BC_Asia-TerrorThreat&&news&tradecentercrash

[templar]

Such a tragedy could easily be used as a pretext and to fuel passions for war.

Wars are quite useful. They keep peoples minds off of the truth.

[Porterville]

I'm thinking/hoping someone nailed the dear leader and turned him into carbon vapor.

[CygnusXI]

Well.
For these trains to have killed that many I would think they would have to have been litterally right AT the station.

Also, for them to collide hard enough to blow like that... wouldn't they (or one of them) have been going really really fast (for entering a station)?

Also, is it common there for (supposedly) freight trains to use commuter stations (or was this a freight station...with 3000+ workers??)?

[Congressman Billybob]

If the death rate is correct, then this is NOT a mere train collision. There are reasons, based on its xenophobias, that North Korea is called "The Hermit Kingdom." The truth will come out, but it will take time.

As I write this, Fox is reporting that the NK "news blackout" included "cutting the phone service to the town where this happened." So it is definitely more than meets the eye right now.

Congressman Billybob

Click here, then click the blue CFR button, to join the anti-CFR effort (or visit the "Hugh & Series, Critical & Pulled by JimRob" thread). Please do it now.

[Porterville]

Yeah, but even with LPG not every fuel car would BLEVE at the same time.... for several cars to explode at once would require some timing, If one car blew, several people, into the hundreds would have died, but there would have been enough time for people to clear out before the other cars popped....

[Kaslin]

FNC reports killed or hurt and I agree with some other posters that something is fishy here. Not that it happend. I am sure it did

[Semper Paratus]

NK has cut its international phone lines. Something may be up.