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Flood - New Zealand
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Freight Train Explosion -
North Korea
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Hailstorm - USA
Flood - Japan
Flood - India
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|
Catastrophe Report 5
February 21 - July 21, 2004 |
Freight train explosion - North Korea
| Territory: |
|
North Korea |
| Region: |
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Ryongchon City, North Pyongang province |
| Date: |
|
22 April 2004 |
| Event: |
|
Freight train explosion |
| Impact: |
|
The blast excavated a crater 15 m deep and devastated
an area up to 2 km across. Around 8,100 homes and 129 government
buildings are estimated to have been destroyed or damaged –
around 40 percent of the city. The human toll is 161 dead –
including 75 school children - and a further 1,300 wounded.
Government estimates of resulting economic losses are US$93
million. |
| Summary: |
|
The explosion appears to have been caused (according
to the Korea Central News Agency) by an electrical short circuit
that happened during the track switching, at Ryongchon station,
of fuel-laden tanker wagons and others containing ammonium nitrate
fertiliser. |
| Data sources: |
|
ReliefWeb
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/WCT?OpenForm
World Health Organisation
http://www.who.int/disasters/country.cfm?countryID=32&DocType=2
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