Terrible demolition, thousands homeless  

HBAid delivers relief to victims of train explosion in the DPRK  

After the train explosion on 22^nd April 2004 in Ryongchon, North Phyongan Province, DPRK, Hungarian Baptist Aid offered to the DPRK a Medical Team of eight (8) specialised doctors and nurses, and with the Medical Team a Temporary Field Hospital and 2-3 tons of Medicines and Medical Equipment. However, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK on 26^th April 2004 informed HBAid that North Korea has sufficient number of well-trained doctors to cope with the situation, but officially invited HBAid leaders, Mr. Sandor Szenczy, President and Dr. Béla Szilágyi, Director to personally visit the explosion site and asked HBAid to provide humanitarian aid. The next day the HBAid leaders left for the DPRK.

Thousands of people living in tents, a 15 meters hole at the place of the accident – this is what Hungarian Baptist Aid leaders saw in Ryongchon, North-Korea between 29^th April to 1^st May 2004.

Hungarian Baptist Aid was the very first European relief team that was provided access to the location of the train accident coming from outside of the poverty stricken country. HBAid President Rev. Sándor Szenczy reported that they had been allowed to personally hand out the aid supplies. HBAid provided the disaster victims with blankets, cooking oil, biscuits and sugar at a value of EUR 20,000. HBAid experts have also managed to get into the locality of the accident. In a one-kilometre circle around the train station, everything has been ruined, and the detonation created a 15-meter crater.

An oil-tank standing on one of the tracks was set on fire by an electric sparkle after the overhead electric cable broke. For 40 minutes the locals tried to put out the fire by bringing buckets of water that instead increased the intensity of the fire. The officials in charge did not evacuate the nearby three-storey primary school, the two-storey agricultural school and the family dwellings. After 40 minutes, the fire spread over to the other train container containing 100 tons of ammonium nitrate that immediately exploded. The explosion affected a circle of four kilometres killing 154 people immediately (meanwhile, the number of the killed victims has increased to 161), in the nearby hospitals, 380 heavily injured are treated. Twelve public institutions and 1850 family houses were totally shattered. Thousands of people clearing the ruins with their own hands. 8000 people are reported homeless, they were placed in primitive tents and the surrounding villages. There is an urgent need of blankets and household utensils, the victims of the train accident, who had lost everything they had, live in extremely bad circumstances. Beyond provision of medicine and food, the main priority is the reconstruction of the destroyed houses.

(Hungarian Baptist Aid has been implementing humanitarian relief and development programmes in the Democratic People’s republic of Korea since 1998. Since September 2001 HBAid has a permanent office in Pyongyang and is provided a resident status in the DPRK – among the very few, a dozen international NGOs – by the Preliminary Cooperation Agreement signed with Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee of the DRPK on 9^th February 2001 and the Cooperation Agreement signed with FDRC on 22^nd February 2002 . HBAid’s main activities included: Acacia seeds in 2001, Duck farm to the Sariwon Area in NHP in 1999, Food, medicine, hospital equipment, clothes and school supplies to the Baby Home, Children’s Social Institute, Boarding School, Children’s Hospital and General (Provincial) Hospital in the Sariwon Area in 1998-2003, Training Korean experts in potato farming, health and acacia in Hungary in 1998-1999 and in 2002, Washing machine and a dryer to the Baby Home in 2001)

Relief Shipments

to Help the Victims of the Train Explosion in Ryongchon and Their Families

Delivered and to be Delivered by Hungarian Baptist Aid  

Relief Shipments Delivered

HBAid purchased the following relief items in Dandong , China at the value of EUR 20,000 and transported it to Ryongchon through Sinuiju border 29^th April – 1^st May 2004 :

ü             595 warm (heavy) blankets appr. 2,5 mT

ü             3,4 mT biscuits

ü             2,5 mT oil

ü             5 mT sugar

Relief Shipments to be Delivered

HBAid plans to provide additional relief shipments in accordance with

ü             the international humanitarian standards,

ü             the surveys and assessments of the UN agencies and NGOs operational in the country and the leaders of HBAid visited the affected area,

ü             the official request of the DPRK.

HBAid’s planned content of the relief shipments depending on incoming donations:  

1.    From Hungary : medical support

ü             Artificial skin (Corium Artificiosum) for the burned victims

ü             Special ointments for the treatment of skin of the burned victims

ü             Antibiotics, painkillers

ü             Syringes, needles

ü             Defibrillator for the rehabilitation of the hospital  

2.    From China : food and non-food items

ü             warm (heavy) blankets

ü             instant noodles

ü             biscuits

ü             oil

ü             sugar   

Additional plans  

HBAid also saw the needs for renovation of buildings and homes. WFP, OCHA and other agencies plan to rebuild a school building. HBAid believes there is a great need to reconstruct a kindergarden / baby home institution in Ryongchon, its approximate budget is around EUR 35,000 - 40,000.