North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected on Sunday flooded areas near the country’s border with China after 5,000 people were affected, state media KCNA said on Monday.
Record torrential rain on Saturday in North Korea’s Sinuiju and nearby areas bordering China isolated around 5,000 people, KCNA said.
The military organised around 10 planes to make roughly 20 trips each to rescue 4,200 people within about a half-day, KCNA said.
Kim praised the military for its rescue efforts, which he said saved 5,000 lives, but he rebuked officials for insufficient preparation of crisis response measures to prevent damage caused by heavy rain, floods and typhoons, KCNA said.
The region has been hit by heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Gaemi in recent days, with a rain-triggered landslide killing 12 people in southern China and causing flash floods elsewhere.