Over 100 North Koreans Killed in Oil Pipeline Explosion
by Richardson ~ June 19th, 2007. Filed under: North Korea.According to the South Korea Buddhist humanitarian aid group that provides assistance to North Koreans in China, Good Friends, an oil pipeline in North P’yŏngan Province (평안북도) exploded on 09 June, killing at least 110 people.
The tragedy… was caused by human error, with someone lighting up [a cigarette] out of distraction while a group of peasants were gathered round the pipeline in the attempt to collect the refined oil seeping out of a leak which had been opened up beforehand. Inevitably, the plant blew up with such violence that it even hit those far from it.
[. . .]
The oil pipeline, connected with the petrol-chemical plant of Pihyon, distributed 200 tonnes of fuel across the entire northern province of Pyongan, covered with rice paddies, to the city of Taedong. (emphasis added)
According to sources, it took over 24 hours to put out he fire, and much of the local population was mobilized for the effort. The South Korean government has not yet confirmed the incident.
If true, this could be a severe blow to energy starved North Korea. More on this event as information becomes available.
Update: a bit more from AFP.
June 19th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
To tell you the truth,I’m not surprised something like this happened. The people are desperate and are doing anything they can to survive. Kim Il Jong spends so much on its military and so little on its people something like this was bound to happen. They gather around an oil leak for some free fuel and then somebody lights a cigarette and all these people get killed. It happened because Pyongyang lets it happen.
June 20th, 2007 at 3:05 am
Pyongyang probably thinks of this as a net gain. First disloyal peasants were killed stealing fat boy’s oil. Second they can milk the South Koreans for lots and lots of sympathy oil, money, and food.
June 20th, 2007 at 10:17 am
I wonder if the leak was caused by the indifferent maintenance likely in North Korea, or if it had help by the locals, and I wonder if the same occurs elsewhere (minus explosions) and if so to what extent.
Those that died might be the lucky ones, as those with burns will instantly be marked as offenders and face punishment, which I can’t imagine would be less than death in this case. Perhaps some could say they got burns fighting the fire.
As this is being reported by an NGO and no being acknowledge by North Korea’s press, at least yet, they probably won’t be asking for ROK handouts. If they do ask, I’m sure you’re correct that South Korea will gladly sent them what they ask for.
June 20th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
This kind of event happens in Nigeria all the time.