UN nuclear test watchdog confirms North Korea blast was explosion

UN nuclear test watchdog confirms North Korea blast was explosionVienna  - The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) finally confirmed Friday in Vienna that North Korea's announced atomic test was in fact an explosion, and not an earthquake.

Using data from 61 stations of its global seismic monitoring network, the United Nation's nuclear test watchdog also narrowed down the epicentre of Monday's blast to within an area of 500 square kilometres.

"There is no doubt there is an explosion-like signal in what we detected," said Lassina Zerbo, who heads the CTBTO's data centre.

It was the first such confirmation from the organization, after sources close to the CTBTO had made similar indications earlier in the week.

For final proof that North Korea really conducted a second underground test after its first one in 2006, the organization is still waiting for nuclear particles or inert gases from the announced test to be detected by special monitoring stations near the Korean peninsula.

According to metereological forecasts, a station in the southern Japanese islands of Okinawa might be the first one to pick up such signals by June 1.(dpa)