Grapevine

By Al Jazeera
Jul 30, 2024

North Korea uses military helicopters to rescue thousands from floods

Leader Kim Jong Un surveys damage and chastises officials for their failure to prepare and respond to recent torrential rain.

North Korea has said it used military helicopters to evacuate more than 5,000 people from severe flooding in the northwest of the country near the Chinese border.

The official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said leader Kim Jong Un supervised the military rescues on Sunday as residents were brought out of Sinuiju city and Uiju town.

Heavy rainfall on Saturday had caused a river on the North Korean-Chinese border to exceed a dangerous level and created “a grave crisis”, the agency said.