The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has stressed the urgent need for more support for the North Korean victims of Typhoon Lionrock, the UN reported Wednesday.

“Given the scale of destruction, the number of individuals affected, and the fact that winter is rapidly approaching, time is of the essence,” Tomás Ojea Quintana, the new Special Rapporteur, said.

Described as the “biggest cataclysm” in fifty years by North Korean media, the typhoon has left 138 people dead and 400 people missing. According to the UN, assistance