# North Korean train "explosion" kills thousands **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 22, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437 "2004-04-22T15:15:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/1 "2004-04-22T15:15:08Z")
[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3649655.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3649655.stm) Simply horrible. My thoughts are with their families. How the hell does a train accident cause so many deaths? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/2 "2004-04-22T15:38:20Z")
Oh my god… [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/) I’m just sick… ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/3 "2004-04-22T15:48:37Z")
Geez Louise…that’s surreal. Definite prayers being sent their way. Gotta love this line, though: “…the North Korean authorities…cut off all international telephone lines, apparently to stop news of the accident spreading.” Glad to see they have their priorities straight. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/4 "2004-04-22T16:12:27Z")
Now all the tinfoil hat theories are coming out that it was an assassination attempt. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/5 "2004-04-22T16:19:36Z")
I don’t think the assassination attempt theory is all that far-fetched. The “target” could have changed trains after getting wind of the plot. I mean, it’s possible. The fact that this happened in the station is just so horrifying. What a nightmare. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/6 "2004-04-22T16:36:23Z")
One of the reports (I think ABC news) said that Kim Jong Il’s train had come through the station from China 9 hours before. Those poor people. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/7 "2004-04-22T16:41:02Z")
So what I’m hearing is that both trains was hauling propane or gasoline and collided in a train station, hence all the fatalities. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/8 "2004-04-22T16:44:18Z")
_were_\* hauling… I had originally typed “that one of the trains was hauling” but changed it, I swear 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/9 "2004-04-22T16:52:45Z")
A Dutch source says the trains carried diesel and LPG (liquid petrol gas), respectively. I suspect the LPG did it. ☹ Incredible. I wonder if we’ll ever know the full extent of this story. 3,000 people - as many as died in the WTC. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/10 "2004-04-22T16:55:09Z")
Why isn’t this on any of the major news networks? CNN’s doing some Michael Jackson crap, CNN headline news is running a piece on fertility, MSNBC is talking about the NFL and Fox is interviewing an Arab diplomat… HeLLOOO! Newspeople? Yoo hoo! News happening here! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/11 "2004-04-22T17:04:04Z")
> [@Coldfire](#): > > A Dutch source says the trains carried diesel and LPG (liquid petrol gas), respectively. I suspect the LPG did it. ☹ > > Incredible. I wonder if we’ll ever know the full extent of this story. > > 3,000 people - as many as died in the WTC. ☹ I’m not familiar with LPG. Should I assume it’s some pretty nasty stuff? What makes it nastier then other fuels? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/12 "2004-04-22T17:04:05Z")
Merged the two outstanding threads. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/13 "2004-04-22T17:09:31Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Why isn’t this on any of the major news networks? > > CNN’s doing some Michael Jackson crap, CNN headline news is running a piece on fertility, MSNBC is talking about the NFL and Fox is interviewing an Arab diplomat… > > HeLLOOO! Newspeople? Yoo hoo! News happening here! :eek: Yeah this was annoying me as well. Thanks for the merge **Coldie** , let’s keep the hamsters as rested as possible. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/14 "2004-04-22T17:13:01Z")
**World Eater** : LPG is a gaseous fuel stored, under great pressure, in liquid form. Kind of like the liquid butane in a lighter, only moreso. Highly nasty if a tank of it explodes. ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/15 "2004-04-22T17:14:45Z")
I don’t mean to belittle the deaths of the 3,000, but we should all have a care for the other millions in North Korea who will have to suffer through another Korean winter with very little food and now, that much less kerosene for heating. Because the state maintains one of the world’s largest standing armies on a wartime footing, they cannot afford to feed their populace. I would not be surprised if the average North Korean – assuming he hears about this incident at all – chalks these 3,000 in the “lucky they got it over with quickly” column. _All that said_, it’s still horrible that those 3,000 died so terribly and so suddenly. What? Hey, what’s this thing under my feet? And why does it say “Ivory - 99.44% pure”? ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/16 "2004-04-22T17:28:12Z")
> [@Jenaroph](#): > > Why isn’t this on any of the major news networks? > > CNN’s doing some Michael Jackson crap, CNN headline news is running a piece on fertility, MSNBC is talking about the NFL and Fox is interviewing an Arab diplomat… > > HeLLOOO! Newspeople? Yoo hoo! News happening here! :eek: But, it wasn’t 3,000 _Americans_ that died, so it’s not as important as Michael Jackson. :rolleyes: What a horrible accident. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/17 "2004-04-22T17:31:35Z")
> [@Jurph](#): > > I don’t mean to belittle the deaths of the 3,000, but we should all have a care for the other millions in North Korea who will have to suffer through another Korean winter with very little food and now, that much less kerosene for heating. Because the state maintains one of the world’s largest standing armies on a wartime footing, they cannot afford to feed their populace. I would not be surprised if the average North Korean – assuming he hears about this incident at all – chalks these 3,000 in the “lucky they got it over with quickly” column. > > _All that said_, it’s still horrible that those 3,000 died so terribly and so suddenly. > > What? Hey, what’s this thing under my feet? And why does it say “Ivory - 99.44% pure”? What are you talking about? When has expressing sorrow over something = Standing on soapbox? Btw I complained to CNN [http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?35](http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?35) Probably gets filtered to trash but what the hell. **TM** , thanks, sounds like bad stuff when it goes kaboom. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/18 "2004-04-22T17:40:00Z")
You know, I had the sinking feeling when I saw where the explosion occurred…if it hadn’t been so close to the Chinese border, would the North Korean authorities have ever admitted that it happened? Like when the Soviets refused to admit that an accident had occurred at Chernobyl until the radiation cloud had been detected outside its borders. Very, very sad situation. Having read reports from North Korea for years with a mixture of horror and helplessness, I feel the same mix of emotions again. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/19 "2004-04-22T17:58:40Z")
Were 3,000 people actually killed? I’ve been following this story since I first saw mention of it on [news.google.com](http://news.google.com) and all I’ve seen is the Korean YTN television network said 3,000 killed _or injured_, and everyone else running with that statistic. Regardless of the actual number of killed and injured, this is indeed a tragedy. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437/20 "2004-04-22T17:58:52Z")
It probably hasn’t made the US news because there’s probably no visuals available. Can’t use what you can’t show. The KNCA (the DPRK’s official news bureau) hasn’t said anything about the accident so far. Still, damn, that’s horrible. In re: the status quo in North Korea. It always seemed odd to me that in Seoul I could go to the movies, watch CNN, buy a bottle of beer at the local market, eat bulgogi and just an hour’s drive away an entire nation was eating grass and leaves. I kinda regret never being allowed to go on the Kumgangsan tour in the North. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korean-train-explosion-kills-thousands/241437.md?page=2)