An explosion at a gas station in Sinuiju, North Korea, killed more than 20 people in early June 2026. A source says authorities are quietly burying the case. They have given the public no accounting of what caused the blast or how they plan to compensate victims’ families.
A source in North Pyongan province told Daily NK on Friday that the explosion happened at a state-run gas station in Nagwon-dong, Sinuiju, in early June. Among the vehicles waiting to refuel was a beoli bus, a privately operated shuttle bus that drivers run to earn money. The blast struck the bus directly and killed more than 20 passengers on board, the source said.
The blast lifted the bus into the air before it exploded, and fire spread instantly. Other vehicles and people waiting nearby could not get away in time, and the explosion injured many of them. The scene turned to chaos within moments, the source said.
Authorities questioned the gas station’s operator and the officials who managed it right after the explosion. But they have not told the public what caused the blast, how it unfolded or how much damage it caused.
The explosion drew little attention partly because of timing. In late June, the Workers’ Party of Korea held the Second Plenary Session of the Ninth Central Committee. The session reviewed the first half of the year and covered economic and defense issues. It also included a surprise announcement: officials would refer Pak Hui Chol, deputy director of the organization department at the Korean People’s Army’s General Political Bureau, to judicial authorities on corruption charges.
The source said other countries would handle an accident of this scale differently. Officials elsewhere would investigate the cause, establish responsibility, and discuss compensation for victims’ families and future safety measures. In North Korea, the source said, authorities quietly closed the matter after questioning a handful of people. Few people have shown public concern for the dead and their families, and no follow-up measures have emerged, the source said.
Buried like past disasters
North Korea has a long history of concealing large-scale casualties from fires, building collapses and train accidents, or sharing only limited details domestically. This explosion appears to follow that pattern. Word of mouth has carried news of the blast among people, but authorities have not officially confirmed it, according to the source.
Some people are frustrated that the state highlights accidents in other countries every day but has not properly reported on deaths and injuries within its own borders. Their frustration points to a broader complaint. When serious accidents occur, they say, the state rushes to cover up the episode instead of identifying its cause, assigning responsibility and putting prevention measures in place.
The source said poor facility management likely caused the explosion and people are now calling for stronger safety oversight of aging gas stations nationwide. More people have bought private vehicles recently, and gas station use has grown along with them; however, facility management and safety inspections remain neglected. That has left people worried that a similar accident could happen again, the source said.
Reporting from inside North Korea
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July 27, 2026 at 12:40AM
by DailyNK(North Korean Media)