The Iri station explosion was a disaster that occurred in Iri, North Jeolla, South Korea on November 11, 1977, at 9:15 p.m. About 40 tons of dynamite carried in a freight train Gwangju exploded at Iri station. The town and train station have both been rechristened as Iksan. At least 59 people were killed.[1]
| Iri Station Explosion | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Date | 11 November 1977 |
| Location | Iri, now Iksan |
| Coordinates | 35°56′26″N 126°56′47″E / 35.94062°N 126.94636°E |
| Country | South Korea |
| Incident type | Munitions Explosion |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 |
| Deaths | 59 |
| Injured | 1300+ |
Damage
editDeaths and injuries
editThe explosion killed 59 people and seriously injured 185 others;[2] altogether, over 1,300 people were injured. At the time, the population of Iri numbered around 130,000 people.[3]
Infrastructure and property
editThe force of the explosion carved a crater ten meters deep and thirty meters wide. Most structures within a 500-meter radius from the site of the explosion were severely damaged. Approximately 9,500 buildings were affected by the explosion, which left about 10,000 people without a home. Residential apartment buildings, the city's first, were constructed to accommodate the displaced.[3]
Financial and political costs
editFinancial damage was extensive; property losses alone were estimated to be ₩23 billion won;[4] the government allocated ₩13 billion won for the recovery effort.[5][6]
Transportation Minister Choi Kyung-rok resigned soon thereafter.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Huge Explosion Reportedly Kills Scores in N. Korea Border Town". Reuters. November 3, 1991. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
The news agency said the explosion was much more powerful than a blast in the southern South Korean city of Iri in 1977 when a freight train carrying dynamite blew up, killing 56 people and injuring 1,300.
- ^ "Emergency Management in Korea: Just Started, but Rapidly Evolving Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine." Federal Emergency Management Agency. Retrieved on July 12, 2011.
- ^ a b c Han, Sungjoo (January 1978). "South Korea 1977: Preparing for Self-Reliance". Asian Survey. 18 (1): 45–57 [53]. doi:10.2307/2643183. JSTOR 2643183.
- ^ 철도주요연표 [Major railway chronology] (in Korean). Korail. 2010. p. 203.
- ^ In 1977 wons.
- ^ Sellar, Gord (17 July 2008). "The Iri Yeok Explosion, and the Iksan Landfill Crisis". Who’s Complaining in Korea. Retrieved 12 July 2012.