North Korea explosion ‘deliberate detonation of a mountain’

NORTH Korea said yesterday that the large explosion near its border with China several days ago was a “deliberate detonation of a mountain” as part of a hydroelectric project.

The reclusive communist regime was responding to a request for information from British Foreign Office minister Bill Rammell, who is visiting Pyongyang. The explosion on Thursday produced a mushroom-shaped cloud more than two miles in diameter.

The magnitude and timing of the blast, which coincided with the 56th anniversary of North Korea’s founding, raised concern it might be the result of a nuclear test. But South Korean and US officials said on Sunday that it did not appear to be the case, adding they were still trying to ascertain the cause of the cloud.