North Korea seeks international help

North Korea has asked for international help following the rail disaster, the UN said today.

“A formal request for international assistance in response to the disaster was received by the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Pyongyang this afternoon from the government,” said the UN.

It said that according to initial reports of the government’s Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee the explosion injured over 1,000 people and that 50 bodies have so far been recovered.

Representatives of the UN, the International Red Cross, aid agencies and diplomats will travel to the region on Saturday to assess the humanitarian needs, the agency said.

The accident happened at 12.10pm (8.10am Irish time) when two trains carrying explosives collided in the bustling town of Ryongchon on Thursday, it said.

“Initial reports from the government received today indicate that the accident happened during shunting operations at the station,” OCHA said.

“According to the Government the explosives were en route to a construction site for a large scale irrigation project.”

Damien Personnaz, spokesman for UNICEF, said the children’s agency is planning to take medicines and first-aid supplies to the region.

“We don’t need an assessment mission to know that after an accident there is a need for first-aid supplies in these hospitals that are lacking everything,” he said.