Floods Kill 88, Cause Major Damage in North Korea

Posted July 29th, 2012 at 2:00 am (UTC-5)
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North Korea says torrential rains spawned by a typhoon have caused at least 88 deaths and 134 injuries, and have left thousands homeless.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported Saturday that more than 5,000 homes were destroyed or damaged and nearly 63,000 people were left homeless by flooding that began on July 18. About 4,800 hectares of cropland were washed away when typhoon Khanun swept through North Korea on July 23 and 24.

The KCNA warned of more heavy rains on Sunday and Monday.

A recent U.N. report said that two-thirds of North Korea's 24 million people face chronic food shortages. Analysts say the latest flooding could make matters worse, since it came on the tail-end of a drought.