North Korea flood toll increases

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At least 600 people are dead or missing after devastating floods in North Korea this month, state media has reported.

One million people have been affected by the downpours, with thousands injured and many more left homeless, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The country also suffered severe damage to its infrastructure after landslides and rain left hundreds of miles of roads and railways inundated.

South Korea began delivering aid to its stricken neighbour last week.

It has promised aid totalling almost $40m (£20m) in addition to the $7.5m it pledged in the immediate aftermath of the floods.

Inundated mines

KCNA cited figures from the Central Statistics Bureau, saying that "torrential rain, strong wind and landslides left at least 600 people dead or missing and thousands of people wounded".

The flooding followed days of torrential rain in North Korea

Earlier estimates by international charities suggested about 300 people had been killed.

The agency said mines had been inundated and production had been stopped.

Some 240,000 houses were totally or partially destroyed, leaving 100,000 people homeless and 900,000 people flood-stricken, KCNA reported.

South Korea has begun to send food, drinking water and blankets, with construction materials to follow in September.

International aid agencies are also working to assist North Korea.

The Red Cross has launched a global appeal for $5.5m, while the UN's World Food Programme has announced plans to provide food aid for more than 200,000 people.

Leaders of the two Koreas are scheduled to hold only their second summit in October.

The meeting had been due to take place at the end of this month, but was postponed by North Korea because of the floods.