A state of emergency was declared in North Korea after two trains carrying highly inflammable freight collided and exploded, killing or injuring up to 3,000 people.

NEGLIGENCE or brake failure likely caused a 51-car train to roll out of a switchyard and eventually reach a speed of more than 90 mph before it derailed, caught fire and exploded, an Iranian official said yesterday.

Rescuers choking on fumes finally extinguished fires on the freight train that crashed and exploded in a fireball in northeastern Iran yesterday killing more than 300 people and devastating five villages.

At least 295 people were killed in the Iran train explosion, state radio reported today. But other officials gave lower figures.