In Seoul, the Unification Ministry has confirmed reports that a large-scale explosion took place in a North Korean railroad station near the Chinese border.

A ministry official said the explosion at Ryongchon seems to have been caused by a collision of two trains, with one train carrying oil and the second carrying liquefied petroleum gas. However, the official was quick to add that the exact cause of the incident and the number of casualties were yet to be confirmed.

The official also said that the explosion seems have no relevance to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, whose special train had passed through the railroad station around nine hours earlier to the blast on its way home from China.