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In Brief
Period covered: 26 to 28 April 2004.
Appeal history:
Launched on 26 April 2004 for CHF 1,652,000 (USD 1.25 million or EUR 1.06 million) for 12 months for 2,000 families (10,000 people).
Disaster Relief Emergency Funds (DREF) allocated: CHF 50,000.
Outstanding needs: CHF 1, 652,000 (USD 1.25 million or EUR 1.06 million )
Related Emergency or Annual Appeals: Annual Appeal (01.68/2004)
Operational Summary: International donors such as the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) through the Danish Red Cross, USAID/OFDA/American Red Cross, AusAid/Australian Red Cross, CIDA/Canadian Red Cross, SIDA/Swedish Red Cross, and the Finnish, Japanese, and the Republic of Korea National Red Cross Societies have quickly responded to the needs by providing support for the DPRK Red Cross' and the Federation's relief activities. There remains, however, increasing concern and pressing needs as the concentration of medical supplies and resources on the emergency has placed an extra strain on the country's limited amount of medical supplies leaving other areas of the country at risk.
For further information specifically related to this operation please contact:
- In DPRK: Federation Pyongyang; P.G. Jenssen, HoD DPRK delegation; (Tel)850 -2-381-4350;email:ifrckp02@ifrc.org
- In Beijing: East Asia regional delegation; Niels Juel, Regional Disaster Management Delegate; (Tel) 86-10-6532-7162; (Mobile Tel) 86-1360-105 -0424;email:ifrccn02@ifrc.org; and John Sparrow, Regional Information Delegate; (Tel) 86-10-6532-7162; (Mobile) 86-1350-120 -5972
- Geneva Secretariat : Satoshi Sugai, East Asia regional officer ; phone:+ (Tel)41-22-730-4273; fax 41.22.733.03.95; email:satoshi.sugai@ifrc.org;
All International Federation assistance seeks to adhere to the Code of Conduct and is committed to the Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response in delivering assistance to the most vulnerable. For support to or for further information concerning Federation programmes or operations in this or other countries, or for a full description of the national society profile, please access the Federation's website at http://www.ifrc.org
Background
Several thousand people remain homeless following the massive explosion which occurred during the middle of the day on Thursday 22 April at Ryongchon railway station, in North Pyongan Province, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). The explosion occurred when railway wagons, said to be loaded with highly combustible ammonium nitrate, blew up. The powerful blast that resonated throughout the entire town of Ryongchon obliterated the station, and devastated the immediately surrounding area leaving 161 people dead and some 1,300 injured. Among the dead were 76 children whose school was levelled in the blast. Figures released by DPRK's Flood Damage Rehabilitation Committee (FDRC) on 25 April confirmed that some 1,850 homes were destroyed or rendered uninhabitable, while a further 6,360 have sustained partial damage. Those families left homeless are still temporarily housed in public facilities, or in some cases relying on tarpaulins for shelter. Among the large number of public buildings damaged were schools, the Ryongchon county hospital, a factory and an agricultural college.
Over the past six days partial damage to Ryongchon county hospital prevented the facility from treating patients with severe injuries. Some 370 critically injured patients were therefore sent to the North Pyongan provincial hospital at Sinuiju. As of 28 April, however, Ryongchon hospital is once again becoming operational and regaining its capacity to treat patients with severe injuries.
Seventy per cent of the 371 patients who were in hospital on 28 April are school children. The largest single group of injuries are head and facial burns and wounds caused due to splintered glass from windows, and eye injuries due to penetrating objects (about 90 children injured).
At the moment the DPRK Red Cross and the International Federation are diverting medical supplies, which were scheduled for delivery to four hospitals as part of the ongoing four-province Red Cross medical programme, and transport to the affected area. Under ordinary circumstances the supplies are sufficient for three months; however given the needs created by the explosion these supplies are expected to be depleted within weeks. Extra medical supplies are expected through the government, the World Health Organisation (WHO), non-governmental organizations and Red Cross channels over the coming week. Limited amounts of available petrol and trucks, however, are placing additional constraints on the delivery of assistance.
Red Cross and Red Crescent action - objectives, progress, impact
The impact of the explosion was felt immediately throughout Ryongchon county, instantly alerting the county's nine local Red Cross branches who res ponded immediately under the coordination of the vice-chairman of the local county Red Cross branch. The DPRK Red Cross and the International Federation are arranging the transport and delivery of medical and household relief supplies to the affected area. The Republic of Korea Red Cross has donated relief and medical supplies worth USD 770,000, and is playing an instrumental role in coordinating the transport of relief items into DPRK. Additionally, the East Asia regional delegation's information and disaster management delegates, and country delegates in DPRK are providing the press with a steady flow of information concerning the situation and the Red Cross response.
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