A train carrying construction materials in Samjiyon, Ryanggang Province has overturned, causing casualties and damage to property.
“Recently, a freight train loaded with construction materials overturned as it was heading toward Samjiyon from Hyesan,” said a Ryanggang Province-based source on July 23.
“The materials on the train were damaged and several people were injured.”
The train was reportedly heading to Samjiyon, which has been heralded by North Korea as the “holy site of the revolution,” with materials intended for use in modernizing the city.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on a recent visit to Samjiyon, called for the early completion of construction efforts, which began in 2015 and were completed last month shortly after the leader’s visit.
“The authorities are more focused on the damaged goods than the people who were hurt,” said the source. “They have mobilized residents living nearby the accident site to help recover the materials.”
Four people, who were identified as cargo guards on the train, were injured and are currently unconscious in a hospital, the source reported. “There are normally two guards per carriage guarding the materials, so there may be more who are injured.”
Such trains are targets for opportunistic traders who hitch rides and conduct illegal business, raising the possibility that the casualty count is higher than expected.
“Merchants pay bribes to use the trains, which are cheaper to get around in than [private delivery/transportation] trucks,” said the source.
“People are wondering what the death toll would have been if it was a passenger train and are saying it was lucky that so few people were hurt.”
There has been no solid information on exactly how the train was derailed, but rumors are circulating.
“Some are saying that the train was derailed because someone stole one of the concrete stakes on the track,” the source said. “There is a rumor that the authorities have deemed the incident an act against the state and are searching for the culprit.”
Another source in Ryanggang Province reported that because the Samjiyon track was constructed recently, the track bed was weak and that the tracks had only held freight trains, and not passenger trains.
“Some people say that the track bed collapsed, which led to the derailment,” he said.
