[imText1]The Train collision in April which caused the death of hundreds of soliders was due to chronic railway problems in North Korea, such as breakdowns in communication and lack of electricity.
It also has been revealed that 270 soldiers and 400 passengers died in the accident.
An official working at the locomotive office in Namyang under the Department of Railways in Chongjin said in a phone conversation with a DailyNK reporter on the 4th, that “The delayed departure of a freight train from Kowon station to Buraesan station caused the train to collide with a passenger train”.
North Korean railways only have single railroad tracks; all the freight trains must wait at the closest station for the coming train to pass by first. However, communication between Kowon station and Buraesan station had brokendown, leading to the accident.
The official said, “According to what I heard from the Department of Railways at Chongjin, the passenger train involved in the collision had six passenger cars. Discharged soldiers were in one car, enrolled soldiers were in another car, and regular passengers were in the other four cars”.
He also said, “Since it was a head-on collision, many soldiers in the cars right behind the locomotive died. I heard that 270 soldiers and approximately 400 passengers died”.
He added, “Because of lack of emergency aid and inefficiency in the delivery of the victims to the hospital, more people lost their lives than should have. As far as I know, the officials at the railroad office in Kowon lost their jobs and were imprisoned due to their inefficient response”.
Mr. Choi Gil Yong, in charge of maintenance of the trains at Hoeryong railway office, met with a DailyNK representative in Sanhe, China, and conjectured that the real cause of the accident was electricity related.
Mr. Choi said, “There was a problem with communication, but the delay of departure due to a lack of electricity seems to be the main cause. There is a possibility that the train which departed from Kowon stopped because of lack of electricity, and the passenger train collided with it”.
Mr. Choi negated the possibility of compensation for the families, saying, “There are tens of big and small train accidents every year. It does not make sense for the country to compensate for the accident, which would only be possible on special order from the government”.
