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Major floods leave 89 N. Koreans dead, 10 missing: Red Cross

September 9, 2015

BEIJING (Yonhap) — Two major floods caused by heavy rainfall killed 89 people and left 10 people missing in North Korea last month, the International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC) said Wednesday.

North Korean authorities and the IFRC had previously reported that flash floods killed at least 40 people in the northern part of North Korea on Aug. 22-23, but the latest report by the IFRC revealed that the North suffered more extensive damage from flooding.

The new IFRC report, citing information offered by North Korean authorities, said North Korea was hit by two rounds of major flooding on Aug. 1-5 and on Aug. 22-23.

“In two different major floods, the country received more than half of its annual average rainfall (321 mm) causing widespread damage and loss of life, property and belongings,” it said.

“The floods affected 6,473 families, or approximately 22,656 people, claimed 89 lives, and 10 people are reported missing in more than 25 affected cities/counties,” the report said.

The floods have left about 1,420 families homeless and “collectively damaged a total of 4,036 hectares” of farmland, according to the report.

The North Korean town of Rason along the border with China and Russia, where a special economic zone is located, was one of worst affected areas, it said.