NKorea thanks US for flood aid

2007-09-05 21:30

Seoul - Reclusive North Korea thanked the outside world, including arch foe the United States, for aid donations after devastating floods last month that killed hundreds and left hundreds of thousands homeless.

The impoverished North has said the floods caused major damage to its outdated infrastructure and dealt a heavy blow to its already anaemic economy.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the floods destroyed 241 000 houses.

"This time the DPRK received medicines and other emergency aid materials given by international organisations including the UN and many countries including China, the US, the EU, Russia, Australia and Egypt with sincerity," the spokesperson was quoted as saying by the North's KCNA news agency.

"The DPRK feels thankful for this aid," the spokesperson said. The North's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"It will help the DPRK recover from the flood damage and bring the living of the inhabitants in the afflicted areas to normal," the spokesperson said.

Hardest hit areas were in the North's agricultural bread basket. The secretive state does not produce enough food to feed its own people even with a good harvest. Aid agencies said they expect the food shortage to be severe this year.

"More than 268 000 hectares of farm land were submerged, came under silt or were washed away. As a result, it is predicted this will adversely affect the agricultural production this year in no small measure," the spokesperson said.

- Reuters