N. Korea presumed to have used `fuel-air bombs` in attack

SEOUL, Nov. 25 (Yonhap) -- North Korea is believed to have used a type of bomb
that would increase casualties and structural damage when it fired on a South
Korean island two days ago, a military source said Thursday.
"After analyzing debris of artillery rounds on Yeonpyeong Island, we
preliminarily concluded that some of them were a sort of special weapon similar
to thermobaric bombs," the source said on condition of anonymity.
"North Korea appeared to use such weapon to kill a number of people and maximize
confusion by causing fire," the source said.
Also known as "fuel-air bombs," thermobaric bombs produce a blast wave for a
significantly longer duration than those produced by condensed explosives,
increasing casualties and damage to structures.
North Korea is presumed to have developed and deployed such bombs from 1985,
according to the source.
The barrage of shots fired Tuesday at the inhabited island, just south of the
tense Yellow Sea border with the North, killed two marines and two civilians. It
also injured 18 people, including at least three civilians, and gutted scores of
homes.
Tuesday's attack by North Korea marked the first civilian deaths in an attack
since the bombing of a South Korean airliner in 1987.
All of South Korea's military went on full alert following the attack on the
island off Incheon, 35 kilometers west of Seoul.
kdh@yna.co.kr
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