Hundreds of people died and went missing because of floods in Korea

The official news agency of North Korea today said flooding has caused "hundreds" of people to die, disappear, and more than 30,000 houses have been destroyed.

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the initial information showed that many people were injured after the storms starting last week. In addition, heavy rain has flooded thousands of hectares of fields.'Heavy rain destroyed at least 800 public buildings, more than 540 bridges, 70 road sections and at least 1,100 vehicles, pumps and electric cars,' KCNA said.

The worst-hit area is Kangwon Province. According to KCNA, there is a ' big loss ', houses of more than 20,000 families have been partially or completely destroyed. Flooding also seriously affected the capital of Pyongyang.

'Material losses so far are estimated to be very large,' KCNA said. 'This prolonged heavy rain has destroyed national railways, roads, bridges, and power outages, cut off communications'.

Street in Pyongyang capital was flooded.
(Photo: AP, Chinadaily)

Last year the DPRK also suffered a massive flood, causing great loss of life and property.

Typhoons in North Korea often cause great damage, as people in this country often live on the slopes for easy cultivation.

In a statement today, the international organization of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent Foundation also stressed the damage caused by the weather and said the national Red Cross organization was put on alert. In addition, they also handed out rescue bags to 500 families who lost their homes. Items include blankets, kitchenware, water containers and other necessary items.