PYONGYANG, September 3 (Itar-Tass) — A total of 48 people were killed, another 50 were wounded and dozens are still missing as a result of powerful Typhoon Bolaven which hit North Korea’s western coast last week, the Korean Central News Agency reported on Monday.
The typhoon has left more than 21,000 people without shelter as well as destroyed over 50,000 hectares of crops. About 880 industrial enterprises and public buildings, including dozens of schools and clinics, were damaged or destroyed by the typhoon.
Last Tuesday and Wednesday western and southwestern regions of the republic were hit by the typhoon, which uprooted trees and damaged power transmission lines. Residents of Haeju and Kaesong, big cities situated not far from the demilitarized zone, were left without electricity. The Ryesonggang power plant was damaged in the typhoon as well.
This year North Korea has already suffered first from drought and then from floods triggered by heavy rains in July and in the first half of August. According to official reports, over 170 people were killed and 212,000 were left without shelter. Floods destroyed 65,000 hectares of grain crops.
The United Nations and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies supply humanitarian aid to disaster zones, first of all drinking water, foodstuffs, medicines and personal hygiene products in order to prevent outbreaks of intestinal diseases.