War train: Missiles, warheads for Syria in N. Korean rail blast
Special to World Tribune.com
EAST-ASIA-INTEL.COM
Monday, June 14, 2004
(excerpted)
...The sources said North Korea had completed work on some of the missiles before the catastrophic train explosion in North Korea. But the train that exploded did not contain biological or chemical weapons agents, they said. Instead, they said the train contained Scud D missiles, warheads and fuel propellants.
Although North Korea has maintained official silence about the April 22 rail blast in a North Korean town near the Chinese border, newspapers in South Korea continue to publish reports about the incident, Middle East Newsline reported.
On Thursday, the opposition Future Korea weekly quoted an anonymous North Korean expert who said Syria has ordered a "large number" of Scud missiles with biological and chemical warheads. The North Korean said the Scud engines were produced at the so-called "January 8 Factory" in Kaechon while the missiles were assembled in the Shin-eum-ri facility in Pyongyang.
The newspaper quoted the North Korean as saying that the BW and CW warheads were assembled at the Namheung Chemical Factory and were onboard the train when it exploded in what was described as an accident. He said the casing of the missiles were produced at Factory No. 26 in Kanggye.
"These details on North Korean WMD trafficking have been of great interest because the U.S. government is expected to take extraordinary measures against North Korea over the next few months," the newspaper said.
"There is considerable evidence that North Korea had completed BW and CW warhead components for shipment to Syria in May," an Asian intelligence source who monitors North Korea said. "The shipment was to have been the first of several batches of missile and nonconventional warhead components."
The train blast on April 22 in the Ryongchon station in North Korea's North Pyongan province killed scores of people, including at least 10 Syrian technicians, the sources said. They said the Syrians aboard the trainload of missiles and warhead components were members of the state-owned Center for Scientific Research and Studies, which helps administer Syria's nonconventional weapons program...
http://216.26.163.62/2004/me_syria_06_13.html
I have long believed the stories of ties between NK and Syria, but this is the first I recall of hearing that 10 Syrian techs were killed in the blast. I found several other articles on Google that mentioned it as well.
IIRC, there was a report within days that stated the first people on the scene were wearing protective gear, and removed bodies from the wreck that were also wearing protective gear. They were also said to have removed "equipment".