Up to 200 people have been killed in North Korea at an underground nuclear site, according to reports.
The deaths occurred when a tunnel collapsed near a nuclear test site in the north-east of the DPRK, according to the Yonhap News Agency in South Korea.
The collapse happened on October 10, though news has only just emerged, amid worries of wider repercussions, reports the Daily Mail.
There are fears the massive collapse will cause a radioactive leak which could spark a huge Chernobyl-style disaster.
Yonhap quoted a North Korean official as saying the collapse happened during construction of an underground tunnel at the Punggye-ri nuclear test site on October 10.
According to the report, around 100 people were trapped in underground tunnels, and a further collapse during the rescue operation took more lives.
According to TV Asahi, the accident is a result of the weakening of the surrounding grounds in the area because of repeated nuclear testing.
This news comes a day after Seoul warned that even one more nuclear test could destroy the mountain test site and cause a massive radiation leak.
Seoul has detected several earthquakes near the nuclear test site after the latest sets of tests in September.
South Korea’s weather agency chief Nam Jae-cheol made these comments during a parliament committee meeting on Monday.
This isn’t the only nuclear test site under significant strain in North Korea, as a US expert has issued a warning earlier this month about another testing location.
Testing at the site has resulted in multiple small earthquakes which have raised concerns about the future of testing at the location.
At the time of the latest tests, in early September, Donald Trump responded to North Korea’s efforts in a series of tweets promising military action.
The posts came amid US and South Korean promises to make a military response to the detonation of the bomb ‘as soon as possible’.
The 45th president didn’t specify what sort of action he planned to take, though he certainly wasn’t backing down.
He wrote:
In response to the massive nuclear test US General Joseph Dunford called upon his South Korean counterpart, General Jeong Kyeong-doo to promise support and co-operatation.
Jeong’s office is reported to have said the generals have ‘agreed to discuss all military measures against the North’.
The commander of the US Forces Korea and the allies’ Combined Forces Command, General Vincent K. Brooks, have agreed to take action ‘as soon as possible’.
The purpose of all these nuclear tests is to match the US’s military might, according to Kim Jong-un himself.
He said:
Our final goal is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the US and make the US rulers dare not talk about military option for the DPRK.
The dictator then went on to say his nation were close to completing its first viable nuclear weapon, adding his people were dedicated to finishing the task.
However, this latest disaster might well delay any future tests which were set to take place, perhaps significantly.
