N. Korea blames error in train blast

The United States is evaluating aid to the country.
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- North Korea said today that human error contributed to the deadly train explosion near the border with China, and expressed appreciation for offers of international humanitarian assistance.
North Korea's official news agency, KCNA, released its first statement about the disaster Thursday, saying the explosion occurred "due to the electrical contact caused by carelessness during the shunting of wagons loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer and tank wagons."
KCNA said "the investigation conducted so far shows that the damage is very serious."
Hundreds killed
The explosion at a railway station in Ryongchon reportedly killed several hundred people, and a U.N. mission and several aid agencies were traveling to the site.
"The DPRK government is doing its utmost to recover from the damage caused by the accident as early as possible and help the living of the people in the afflicted area return to normal," the agency said. DPRK stands for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"It appreciates the willingness expressed by the governments of various countries and international bodies and organizations to render humanitarian assistance to the DPRK," the agency said.
U.S. defense officials said damage from the blast extended at least 200 yards from the explosion in Ryongchon, a city with chemical and metalworking plants and a reported population of 130,000.
Kim passes through
The analysts thought it was probably a coincidence that the blast happened hours after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il reportedly passed through the station on his way home from a three-day visit to China.
There has been no unusual movement of North Korean military forces detected since the explosion, though it is likely some would aid in disaster recovery efforts, the officials said.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the United States is evaluating the situation in North Korea to see "if there is a need or an opportunity for the United States to help."
He noted that the United States has provided humanitarian aid in the past to North Korea. He added that there are no obstacles to sending assistance in response to the current situation.
Injury and destruction
North Korean officials told diplomats and aid groups that more than 1,000 people were injured and thousands of apartments and houses destroyed or damaged in the blast.
They said many more could be trapped in collapsed buildings near the station. Red Cross workers were distributing tents and blankets to 4,000 families.
"In Pyongyang, we already hold out our hands to the world community," North Korea's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Kim Chang Guk told Associated Press Television News. He said Pyongyang was seeking "generous help from the world community."
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