How awful

This is hard to even imagine:

April 23 (Bloomberg) -- As many as 3,000 people were killed or injured after two trains carrying fuel shipments collided and exploded in North Korea, Yonhap new agency reported. The U.S. offered to send humanitarian aid.

The isolationist communist country cut international telephone lines after the explosion to prevent the news from getting out, South Korea's Yonhap said, citing unidentified Chinese sources it didn't identify. There's been no mention of the disaster on North Korea's Central News Agency.

A cargo train carrying oil and liquid petroleum gas crashed into a second train at about 2 p.m. yesterday, Korean time, destroying the station at the city of Ryonchon, about 15 kilometers (9.3 miles) from the Chinese border city of Dandong.

The collision occurred nine hours after a train carrying North Korean leader Kim Jong Il home from talks with Chinese leaders in Beijing passed through Ryonchon, Yonhap said.

There are three things about this story. The first is that thousands of people have lost their lives. That is a great tragedy and while it's doubtful that very many people in North Korea are reading the internet, I want to express my condolences.

The second is that the North Korean government is apparently trying to pretend the whole thing didn't happen. They're also apparently ignoring offers for help. This is also tragic and who knows how many lives will be lost from this eyes closed approach.

Third, this explosion happened at a train station "Dear Leader" Kim Jong Il had passed through shortly before. It's hard not to wonder if this "accident" was aimed at him.