The Stalinist government broke a two-day silence and said the blast, which scattered debris many kilometers, was caused by human error during the shunting of cargo.

Jang Song Gun, an official leading rescue efforts, told the Chinese news agency Xinhua that an oil tanker collided with wagons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer, knocking down an electricity pole that triggered the blast.

He said 154 people were confirmed dead and 1,300 injured. Among the dead were 76 children from a school situated among the densely populated roads around the station, a major rail hub.

On April 25, the Red Cross said the official death toll had risen to 161.

The death toll looked certain to rise as the aid agency said more than 8,000 houses or rooms were destroyed or badly damaged, and 12 public buildings were demolished, raising fears people could be buried under rubble.

The Japan Times Weekly: May 1, 2004
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