April 24th 04, 03:14 AM
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"tommyknocker" wrote in message
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Stinger wrote:
"tommyknocker" wrote in message
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Frank White wrote:
In article ,
says...
Apparently a South Korean news agency has reported that two
gasoline
loaded trains have collided in North Korea, killing thousands and
leveling an entire town. Radio Exterior de Espana noted that there
has
been no independent confirmation of this. NBC News (US) has
reported
that it was near the border with China and that phone lines between
NK
and China have been cut in order to prevent info from getting out.
I
don't have my Yaesu hokked up so I can't tune around and see what
others
are saying. What's Radio Korea Intl (NOT VoK, but South Korea)
reporting? Anybody hear anything?
The BBC was airing initial reports within minutes. True, those
reports were mainly "There may have been a massive disaster, but
NK has cut all communication"; but they were on it.
And they stayed on it through the day, providing details as they
got them while digging up background like interviews with
reporters familiar with North Korea and its determination to
control all information going in and out of the country; a
talk with the head of a civilian satellite imaging company who was
unable to talk about what might have happened yesterday (since
the satellites weren't in position to see such immediate
details) but COULD talk about how previous scans showed that
the railway station was a rabbit warren of interconnecting,
converging tracks and it would be easy for trains to run into
each other there (and that huge numbers of houses were right there
besides the tracks); a discussion of how the NK railroad system is
the SAME one set up by the Japanese more than 60 years ago when
they held Korea as a colonial possession and is in terrible shape,
but is the NK government's main means of transport because it's
all they've got that runs...
The BBC's coverage was VERY informative!
And on the flip side, I notice that US domestic shortwave
braodcasters - the looney tune section - are already insisting
it was really an accidental nuke detonation the North Koreans
are trying to disguise as an conventional accident...
FW
CBS (US) is reporting this morning that the trains were filled with
dynamite and that they ran into a downed live power line, thus
touching
off the explosion.
Major Disaster! And just as the Soviets did, the North Koreans are
doing.
First, they cut external communications.
Next, they floated a story about a gasoline and fuel oil explosion.
When that didn't fly, it became a gasoline and LP gas explosion.
When that didn't fly, it suddenly became a dynamite train explosion.
However, several sources say that it was a trainload of rocket fuel,
which
they got from our supposed friends, the Chinese.
If that finally turns out to be the fact....well gee...it's a shame that
blew up.
-- Stinger
Where did you hear the rocket fuel story? On shortwave? Just curious.
But we'll probably never know exactly what it was. Explosive fuels, by
their nature, are self obliterating. And North Korea is the most
reclusive country on earth. But whatever caused it, it was BIG, big
enough to force the North Koreans to turn to the Red Cross for help.
That indicates a whole train filled with SOMETHING explosive.
WWL-AM mentioned it while I was on my way to work this morning.
-- Stinger
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