A flood in North Korea’s Rason area over the weekend killed 40 people, damaged hundreds of homes and washed away roads, according to a spokesperson from the Red Cross East Asia Affairs Society in China and in-country reports.

Speaking to Radio Free Asia (RFA), the spokesperson said the floods were due to localized torrential rain downpours in the area.

“Around 40 local people died and around 150 houses are fully destroyed (with around 860 houses damaged). Injured people were evacuated to nearby schools … based on the first status report from North Korean Red Cross in Hamkyungbuk,” the spokesperson