North Korea pledges 'severe punishment' for officials over Typhoon Maysak casualties

North Korea has reportedly pledged ‘severe punishment’ for local officials who it says failed to protect residents from a typhoon which caused ‘serious incident’. North Korea’s ruling party’s newspaper, Rodong Sinmun, reported that leaders have decided to punish ‘irresponsible’ city and provincial officials for causing a serious incident involving dozens of causalities. 

According to reports, typhoon Maysak brought heavy downpours across the country. Several videos that surfaced online also showed a street inundated with water in the eastern port town of Wonsan, Kangwon province. It is still unclear how many were injured, missing or dead. 

The North Korean newspaper reported that despite being ordered by the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea, the officials failed to immediately organise a project to thoroughly identify properties at risk and evacuate all residents. The newspaper further reportedly added that the officials have made a decision to impose ‘severe party, administrative, and legal punishment’ to those responsible for the causalities. 

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Typhoon Maysak kills 2

Meanwhile, Typhoon Maysak also hit the South, killing at least two people. As per reports, over 2,200 people were evacuated to temporary shelters in the southern city of Busan. Maysak also marked the third round of heavy rain and wind in the Korean Peninsula in the past month. 

According to North Korea’s media reports, the country faced widespread flooding in the eastern coastal cities of Wonsan and Tanchon. Few of the affected areas included Kangwon Province and South and North Hamgyong Provinces. The state television reportedly even showed a brief report from Pyongyang, with high water levels of the Taedong River that flows through the centre of the capital. 

(Image: AP) 

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