Seoul, July 19: Heavy downpours have hit the capital and other parts of North Korea, the country’s state news agency reported Sunday, raising the specter of a repeat of massive floods two years ago that left hundreds of people dead and devastated farmlands.
Up to 11.3 inches (28.7 centimeters ) of rain fell in central and southern parts of the country between Friday and Saturday, with Pyongyang receiving 9.2 inches (23.4 centimeters), the official Korean Central News Agency said.
The brief dispatch did not say how much damage the downpours caused.
In 2007, days of heavy rain triggered the most severe floods in decades, leaving about 600 people dead or missing and about 100,000 homeless. The floods destroyed more than 11 percent of the country’s crops, and state media said at the time that some parts of the country received more than 26 inches (66 centimeters) of rain.
The disaster forced the reclusive regime to seek outside help.
North Korea is prone to floods and landslides due to poor drainage systems and massive deforestation in the wake of a famine in the 1990s that is believed to have killed as many as 2 million people.
The impoverished nation has relied on foreign aid to feed its 24 million people since its economy was devastated by natural disasters and mismanagement in the 1990s.
–Agencies