China has limited access to a nature reserve on its border with North Korea after mysterious seismic shakes at the rogue nation's nuclear test site were detected less than 10 minutes after it launched a missile earlier this month.
Beijing reportedly closed the site over fears that underground detonations by the North Koreans at a facility near Punggye-ri could lead to rockslides and even trigger an eruption of the active volcano Mount Paektu, which is sacred to North Korea and located right on the border between the two countries.
The notices from Chinese authorities, restricting access to the Changbaishan National Nature Reserve, were posted on China's state-regulated analog to Twitter Weibo, South Korea's
Donga Ilbo newspaper reported Thursday. It covers a radius of around 70 miles from the Punggye-ri test site.
"For the safety and convenience of travelers, we have temporarily closed the southern tourist zone of Changbai Mountain," read the message from Chinese authorities, translated by
UPI. "Officials are thoroughly investigating the safety of the tourist area." The area will remain closed to the public until "the potential risks disappear," it said.
Comment: 3 people were also killed by lightning strikes in the same Indian state 2 days earlier.
Deaths due to lightning were also reported on the 18th of September in Nepal where a woman was hit while 2 men were struck in Bangladesh.