The Chosun Ilbo (Korean) has several photos taken from the disaster site, and initial witness reports that the place looked like it had been bombed out appear to be correct. The second photo is really disturbing; in case you can’t read Korean, the sign post in front of the building reads “Ryongchon Elementary School.” That would explain why it seems a large number of the dead were school children.
UPDATE: This is from the front page of today’s (actually, tomorrow’s) Chosun Ilbo:
Apparently, 40 percent of the homes in the downtown Ryongchon area have been destroyed and 8,000 made homeless. The Red Cross has put the death toll so far at 161 — 76 of them were elementary school students at Ryongchon Elementary School (located about 200 meters from the blast site). The injured total 1,300. Those number will likely go up.
One Comment
If the photos would be in black-white, they would look like images from the Korean War. It makes me deeply sad.