Posted on 06/02/2006 9:26:15 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Aid group says April train collision in North Korea left 1,000 dead
Thu Jun 1, 11:09 PM ET
A Buddhist humanitarian aid group says two troop trains packed with soldiers collided head-on in North Korea in April leaving more than 1,000 dead.
The reported accident occurred in Kowon County in the remote and rugged northeastern province of South Hamkyong on April 23 when a train went out of control on a downhill stretch of track after its brakes failed.
It rammed into another train that was climbing the hill on the same track, according to the group, Good Friends.
"The number of dead was very high as the cars of both trains were crowded with soldiers, including those being discharged and new conscripts," the group said in its weekly newsletter.
South Korea's government said it had heard nothing about the reported accident and was unable to comment.
The aid group said that North Korea's government imposed a news blackout on the tragedy but the news, which at first was whispered among relatives of the victims, slowly leaked out of the communist state.
North Korea tightly controls news about the country from reaching the outside world and also clamps down on the flow of information inside the country.
However, control if its northern border with China has relaxed in recent years due to the rise in two-way trade and more people and information are crossing in both directions.
North Korea's railway system is known to be in an extremely poor state. Decades-old rolling stock run no faster than 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour on rusted tracks, with a lack of fuel and electricity forcing many trains to remain idle.
N. Korea: Report of 1,000 Deaths in Train Crash
These days, international media picks up on this kind of stories faster than it used to. It used to take days, months, or, in the worst case, never get published.
Ping!
may be morbid curiosity, but what is the record for most dead in a train crash. if this is true it's got to be close.
Wow.
In N. Korea, the worst crash claimed 2,400 deaths. Happened in '97 on a pass between Heechon and Jonchon. One of NK defectors used to be party operatives, and had access to internal documents of security dept. He testified to this number.
You must be talking about Ryongchon Explosion on Apr. 22, 2004. It was equivalent to 800 ton of TNT going off. Refer to the following post:
North Korean Security Believes Ryongchon Explosion an Assassination Attempt(Cellphones now banned)
Wow, thanks for the stats, incredible.
Correction: 2,400 --> around 2,400
I always look forward to your posts about NK...and Japan.
Thanks!
It was on this grade that he lost his air brakes , watch old 97 roll.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.