Yanji, China — On the 24th and 27th of March, there were two cases of trains overturning, killing or seriously wounding hundreds of people in the workers’ area of Goeup, Kim Hyung Jik (a county), Yangkang Province and in Wonnheung, Yangkang Province, respectively.
A source from North Korea, during a telephone conversation with Daily NK on the 4th, revealed that “At the end of last month, on the Hyesan-Manpo Line and Hyesan-Pyongyang Line, the two trains overturned after leaving Hyesan, causing a few hundreds casualties.”
The source said that “On the 27th of March, the No. 2 train on the Hyesan-Pyongyang was overturned around Youngha-ri in Woonheung and a few days earlier than that, on the 24th, the train on the Hyesan-Manpo – bringing people visiting the revolutionary memorial site – was also overturned in Kim Hyung Jik (formerly Hoochang).”
However, the cause, the whole story of the incidents, the exact spots and total casualties were not reported. The instruction to immediately produce coffins was conveyed to each city and county, according to the source.
The source explained the incident in Kim Hyung Jik on the 24th. In Goeup in Kim Hyung Jik, a carriage of trains fell off the tracks and 4 passengers and crew were killed, with dozens of passengers wounded.
The source was concerned that “Due to these continuous incidents, people worry that the authorities might end up pressing espionage charges against innocent residents.”
