Just today there was a massive train wreck in North Korea, near the Chinese border, in which two trains carrying fuel collided, raining debris as far as 15 miles, according to an AP report.
The report says that as many as 3000 people were killed or injured, but considering how isolated and bitter North Korea is toward the West, one should likely take this with quite a few grains of salt. Perhaps a whole can of Morton’s worth.
Either way, it seems that a LOT of people died as a result of this disaster. [:(]Apparently Kim Jong-il, the big-haired North Korean despot himself, had recently passed through the area on the way back from a trip to Beijing to meet with the Chinese president. I personally think that had nothing really to do with this disaster, but granted a lot of conspiracy theorists will put some plots forward.
2004 is turning out to be a pretty awful year for railroads worldwide.