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A helicopter flies over flooded houses in the North Korean city of Sinuiju - Source: Reuters
More than 5,000 people have been evacuated from a North Korean city bordering China after flooding from a rain-swollen river that also forced more than 94,000 people to leave affected areas in China this week.
North Korea's official KCNA news agency said yesterday many
parts of north western Shinuiju city had been submerged after the
river that forms the border between North Korea and China
overflowed due to more than 300 mm of rain falling between midnight
and 9 am on Saturday.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sent military units to rescue
residents of the north western area and at least 5,150 flood
victims were evacuated by the air force and navy, KCNA said.
In China's Dandong area flooding from the swollen river, called the
Yalu in Chinese and the Amnok in Korean, killed four people and
flooded 44 townships, bringing power blackouts and disruption to
communications, Chinese state media said.
Local weather stations forecast yesterday morning that 250 mm of
rain would pelt the Chinese city over the next 24 hours.
Massive flooding in recent years left hundreds of people dead or
missing, swept away buildings and inundated farms, prompting
reclusive North Korea to seek foreign food aid.
Lack of proper infrastructure in most areas outside the capital
Pyongyang makes arable land and residential districts of North
Korea vulnerable to water damage in times of heavy rain, which in
turn hurts harvests and worsens food shortages.
Aid groups have said the North suffers chronic shortfalls of food,
with traditional key donor countries such as South Korea and the
United States having sharply cut contributions in response to North
Korea's nuclear weapons and missile tests.
North Korea can barely feed its 23 million people even with a good
harvest due to its hilly terrain and antiquated farming
industry.
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