The tunnel industry has considered that tunnels, especially tunnels in rock, are naturally resistant to earthquake action, including faulting, shaking, deflection and ground failure. A tunnel collapse at North Korea’s nuclear test site in September may have killed more than 200 people, according to Japanese media. The collapse affected about 100 workers, the Japanese broadcaster said, but a second collapse likely killed an additional 100 people during a rescue mission. More than 200 people were killed when tunnels at North Korea’s Punggye-ri nuclear test site collapsed after the test of a hydrogen bomb last month, Japan’s Asahi TV reported on Tuesday. But it said they probably won't stop Mount Mantap being used for further tests. About 100 workers were affected by the initial collapse at the Punggye-ri site on 10 September following the country's sixth nuclear test, TV Asahi reported, citing unnamed North Korean sources. A tunnel collapse at North Korea’s nuclear test site in September may have killed more than 200 people, according to Japanese media. Chinese scientists said the mountain could be suffering from “tired mountain syndrome,” the Washington Post reports. This satellite image released and notated by Airbus Defense & Space and 38 North on Wednesday, April 12, 2017, shows the Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea. Comments may take up to an hour for moderation before appearing on the site. Punggye-ri Nuclear Test Site (Korean: 풍계리 핵 실험장; Hanja: 豊溪里核實驗場) was the only known nuclear test site of North Korea. This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Edwin Lyman, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told the New York Times, “While radioactive material would be released into the environment if the collapse occurred right after a test, the amount of fallout, even from a weapon in the 100 kiloton range, would likely only cause significant contamination in the vicinity of the site and perhaps a few hundred miles downwind.”. In Japan, where tensions have been raised as a result of the North Korean nuclear and missile tests, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. Unstable conditions complicating efforts to rescue those remaining. More than 200 people were killed when a tunnel at North Korea's nuclear test site collapsed following its latest test, according to Japanese TV. The 38 North website, which reports on issues involving North Korea, said the effects of the latest blast could potentially extend as far as 1.4km from the detonation point. At least 200 people have been killed at a nuclear test site in North Korea after a tunnel collapsed, according to an unverified Japanese media report.. Japanese media has released details into an apparent tunnel collapse in North Korea’s nuclear test site that is believed to have killed as many as 200 people. More than 200 people were killed when a tunnel at North Korea's nuclear test site collapsed following its latest test, according to Japanese TV. Since Sept. 3, the area has recorded further tremors as well as landslides. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. A possible tunnel collapse at Mount Mantap has long been suspected, with Chinese scientists expressing concern soon after September's large-scale nuclear test. A tunnel at North Korea's nuclear test site collapsed after Pyongyang's sixth atomic test in September, possibly killing more than 200 people, Japanese broadcaster TV Asahi said. 'More than 200 dead' in North Korea tunnel collapse following nuclear test, The location of an artificial earthquake detected at the Punggye-ri site, Johnson calls on Kim Jong Un to negotiate, Trump: US ready for N Korea 'military option', the area surrounding the Punggye-ri nuclear test site. Nuclear tests were conducted at the site in October 2006, May 2009, February 2013, January 2016, September 2016, and September 2017. North Korea has hailed its sixth "perfect success" of a nuclear test. Scientists have warned these tests could cause Mount Mantap, the 7,200-foot-high peak that hosts North Korea’s nuclear tests, to collapse. Tunnel collapses caused by Pyongyang's sixth nuclear test in September may have killed scores, according to Japanese TV. Meanwhile, Seoul and Beijing have agreed to move beyond a year-long stand-off over the deployment of the US anti-missile THAAD system in South Korea. The U.S. Geological Survey recorded a second event after the detonation, according to the BBC, which UGS and China indicated was a potential “collapse” of a portion of the tunnel. Please try again. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. It was reported two weeks ago that the area surrounding the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, in the country's north west, was suffering from "Tired Mountain Syndrome" as a result of the underground blasts. Photo by Airbus Defense & Space/38 North/Pleiades CNES/Spot Image via AP, After six tests, the mountain hosting North Korea's nuclear blasts may be exhausted, New satellite images reveal extensive network of prison camps in North Korea, North Korea says it set off H-bomb in 'unprecedented' sixth nuclear test, tap here to see other videos from our team. Chinese scientists have worried that the mountain which hosts the tests could be suffering from 'tired mountain syndrome'. Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. There was an error, please provide a valid email address. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Tunnel collapse at North Korea nuclear test site may have killed 200 workers: Japanese media. We ask you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. The collapse occurred while a tunnel was being constructed at Punggye-ri in the northeastern part of the country this month, the channel cited North Korean sources as saying. Some 100 workers were involved in an initial collapse. Experts said the sixth blast, on 3 September, would have destabilised the region. “Asahi TV reported that about 200 people were killed in a massive collapse in […] Wednesday 27 November 2019 13:01. Other specialists, however, have said the effects on the mountain mean the Punggye-ri site may not be used for much longer to test nuclear weapons. The US … Over 100 more are likely to have died as further collapses occurred during a rescue operation, the broadcaster said. A tunnel collapsed at Punggye-ri in early September, days after North Korea conducted its sixth and largest underground nuclear test on September 3, TV Asahi said, quoting unnamed North Korean sources. About 100 workers were affected by the initial collapse at the Punggye-ri site on 10 September following the country's sixth nuclear test, TV Asahi reported, citing unnamed North Korean sources. There has been no independent confirmation of the report. On September 10, just one week after North Korea conducted their sixth nuclear test, a tunnel at the test site collapsed, killing an estimated 100 people, likely due to aftershocks caused by the hydrogen bomb test. © 2020 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. The dispute has been devastating South Korean businesses that rely on Chinese consumers and the announcement comes just days before Donald Trump begins a trip to Asia, where the North Korean nuclear crisis will take centre stage. Analysts estimated the regime had detonated a thermonuclear device at least 17 times the size of the American bomb dropped on Hiroshima in 1945, enough to create a magnitude-6.3 tremor. An additional 100 were then killed in the rescue attempt to search for survivors. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player. A tunnel collapse in North Korea reportedly killed 100 people and crushed 100 rescuers, according to Japanese News on October 10. It appears that Kim Jong-Un’s mountain is crumbling after all those nuclear tests, which we reported as a possibility previously. 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4. A welcome email is on its way. We have enabled email notifications—you will now receive an email if you receive a reply to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Tunnel collapses in China killing at least four and trapping workers inside. They discussed cooperation in addressing security challenges, with Mr Stoltenberg telling North Korea afterwards it "must abandon its nuclear ballistic missile programmes and implement a complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula". Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited. The tunnel collapsed at the Punggye-ri nuclear site on approximately Sept. 10, days after North Korea’s sixth atomic test, unnamed sources informed TV Asahi. The 3 September test caused the USGS to register a tremor of magnitude 6.3, with a smaller, second earthquake being measured at the site, about eight minutes later.