SEOUL — Two trains, one carrying oil and the other liquefied natural gas, collided yesterday in the town of Ryongchon in North Korea, killing and injuring as many as 3,000 people, according to unconfirmed news accounts.
The incident took place about nine hours after a train carrying the North’s reclusive leader, Kim Jong-il, passed through the town, close to the country’s border with China.
The explosion took place at about 1 p.m. local time, according to news reports reaching Seoul.
The proximity of the blast and the travel of the North Korean leader triggered inevitable speculation.
In Washington, however, a U.S. official said there was no indication that the explosion was an attempt to kill Mr. Kim.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said if the tragedy was confirmed, “that indeed would be very sad and, obviously, we would express our sympathy to whoever was hurt.”
“We have always been willing to help the people of North Korea with humanitarian needs, [but] we don’t know enough about the situation yet to know whether there is any assistance that might be necessary.”
In Seoul, South Korea’s acting President Goh Kun today ordered officials to prepare aid for North Korea if reports of the huge train explosion and massive casualties are confirmed, his office said.
“If the reports are true, it is a very unfortunate accident. We extend our deep condolences,” Mr. Goh told his officials.
“I have asked related government offices to prepare humanitarian-aid measures quickly, if necessary.”
Yonhap, a major South Korean wire service, said a source from Dandong, China, reported, “The town is in ruins, it looks as if it has been bombarded.”
Many in the Chinese border town have relatives who work in North Korea. Some reports stated that casualties were being taken across the border to hospitals in the Chinese town.
Debris from the explosion was found as far away as Sinuijiu, North Korea, about 31 miles from the explosion’s epicenter, South Korean reports said.
Information was sparse because phone lines into the North were not working. It was not clear whether they were damaged by the incident or purposely shut down by the communist state’s government to prevent information about the incident from leaking out.
Mr. Kim had passed through Ryongchon station on his return from a secretive, three-day trip to China about nine hours prior to the explosion.
In Beijing , Mr. Kim met with senior Chinese officials, including President Hu Jintao and former President Jiang Zemin.
Chinese sources said during Mr. Kim’s trip, the two nations had agreed on efforts to find a peaceful solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis and the continuation of the six-party talks, which Beijing has painted as a triumph of diplomacy. Some analysts think that Beijing pressured Pyongyang to continue with the talks, which will continue at the working level.
A positive result of Mr. Kim’s trip to China was what the North’s official news agency called China’s offer of an unconditional aid package, including energy help.
It is not clear whether the trains involved in the explosion were carrying Chinese energy aid to the fuel-starved North.
A steady flow of refugees from the North in recent years indicates that significant segments of the communist state’s population are unhappy with the situation in their country.
Western and South Korean missionaries working with North Korean refugees living in the northern Chinese border areas have noted strong criticism of both the regime and its leader.
The dilapidated state of the North’s rail systems also could have been a factor in the disaster.
As is common with incidents involving North Korea, no information was immediately available from Pyongyang.
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