Source: IFRC
Date: 10 May 2004


Operational Developments
Ryongchon county is in the process of clearing away large
amounts of rubble and debris following the destructive
explosion which occurred two weeks ago on 22 April at Ryongchon
railway station located in North Pyongan Province, the
Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The explosion
which by now has left some 161 people dead and injured some
1,300 occurred when railway wagons, said to be loaded with
highly combustible ammonium nitrate, blew up. Among the dead
were 76 children whose school was levelled in the blast.
According to DPRK's Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee
(FDRC) some 1,850 homes were destroyed or rendered
uninhabitable, while a further 6,360 sustained partial damage.
Among the large number of public buildings damaged was the
railway station, schools, the Ryongchon county hospital, a
polyclinic , a factory and an agricultural college.

Over the past days a lot of progress has been made in regard to
cleaning up the area where the explosion occurred. Piles of
debris where buildings once stood now line the city streets, as
people, including school children, are out in the city clearing
the way of fallen bricks. People who were sheltered in tents
have been relocated so as to permit the clearing of the area
with heavy machinery. Additionally, trucks, tractors, and ox
carts are being used to remove the rubble, and most of the
houses which were partially damaged are being cleared.

According to DPRK's Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee
(FDRC) there are 1,850 homeless families. Some 450 families are
still living in temporal makeshift shelters and 30 families are
living in public buildings while 1,370 families are temporarily
sharing shelters with friends and neighbours.

Red Cross and Red Crescent action

Latest Activities as of 6 May

The overall objective of this preliminary appeal (12/2004) is
to address both the short-term and long-term needs of the
people affected by the explosion in Ryongchon county with a
three phase operation.

Phase I: Distribution of relief items from Red Cross Disaster
Preparedness Centres and other available in-country sources.

In the aftermath of the explosion, the DPRK Red Cross and the
Federation were able to rapidly provide relief items to the
affected area due to the existing network of disaster
preparedness centres. The DPRK Red Cross and the Federation
released relief items and medical supplies worth some EUR
326,808.

The following is a table of disaster preparedness items and
medical supplies which the DPRK Red Cross will need to be
replenished in order to maintain the appropriate level of
preparedness.




DPR Korea; Train Explosion in Ryongchon County; Appeal no.
12/2004; Operations Update no. 03

The demands created by the emergency exhausted the medical
supplies delivered to Sinuiju and Ryongchon which had been
distributed by the DPRK Red Cross and the Federation on 19
April, three days before the explosion, as part of the
Societies' Federation supported quarterly distribution of
medical supplies serving 1,762 institutions in three provinces
and one municipality.
Distribution of Relief Items (30 April -- 6 May)

The Federation's logistics delegate in DPRK accompanied six
trucks with relief goods and medicine from the Republic of
Korea Red Cross. The items were taken to Sinuiju on 3 May. The
relief goods included: blankets, clothes, sport clothes, some
food (noodles) and mineral water. An additional 10 - 12 truck
loads will be brought from Pyongyang from the same consignment
(including more medicine). The DPRK Red Cross has prepared a
procurement plan for the replacement of disaster preparedness
stock.

Water

The International Federation as supporting partner of the DPRK
Red Cross has offered to play a lead role in all future water
and sanitation activities related to the international
community's support to cover the acute needs for homeless
people and the future reconstruction activities in Ryongchon.
The input to the pending Federation appeal will be made within
the next coming days as new information becomes available from
DPRK's Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee (FDRC) who is in
the process of drafting a master plan for the rehabilitation
phase. This master plan will include the design of the urban
water supply system. The Federation's water and sanitation
delegate attended a coordination meeting on 7 May where meeting
participants confirmed the critical need to concentrate on
supporting Ryonchong's water and sanitation systems.

The Federation is also in the process of coordinating the
immediate water needs through the mobilising of bladder tanks,
temporary tap stands and pump plus power equipment. These
activities will be implemented in close collaboration with
UNICEF and other NGOs.

Health

According to the latest information provided by the DPRK Red
Cross branch in Ryongchon, four primary health clinics were
affected either partially or totally from the explosion. The
Polyclinic located in the vicinity of the explosion was totally
destroyed. This clinic had the capacity to deal with some 80-
100 outpatients per day. The DPRK Red Cross' health coordinator
is liaising with WHO to get the technical specifications on the
damaged Polyclinic. The other three primary health care clinics
sustained partial structural damage, stress fractures and or
the loss of windows. The county hospital is now resuming its
activities, in spite of some structural damage to the building.

A tent is being used as a first aid station to treat minor
injuries sustained during the clean up and reconstruction
phase.

Coordination

The value of known assistance provided to Ryongchon is
currently US$28.7 million (excluding ongoing appeals).
International agencies active in Ryongchon are working in close
coordination with the government and each other. The respective
agencies have assumed responsibility to function as the focal
point for the various sectors where work is ongoing. The
International Federation is functioning as the focal point in
the areas of water and sanitation and temporary family shelter
and non-food items; the WFP is the focal point for food aid;
the WHO is the focal point for health and nutrition; UNICEF is
the focal point for education; and, UNDP is the focal point for
economic recovery and infrastructure.

On 6 May, representatives of the Federation and one desk
officer from DPRK Red Cross attended the UNDP chaired meeting
on reconstruction. The FDRC presented the overview of the
reconstruction needs for Ryongchon. The Federation pledged
interest in the reconstruction of the water and sanitation
system, and the polyclinic. UNDP made a pledge for dwelling
houses; and, a group of NGOs (GAA, Cesvi and Concern) pledged
interest in schools, nurseries and kindergartens.