"Different areas of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea were hit by strong winds and a disastrous rainstorm," Korean Central News Agency said in a dispatch monitored here Saturday.

It rained heavily in the capital Pyongyang and in the western provinces of North and South Phyongan, northwestern provinces of North and South Hwanghae and South Hamgyong provinces on late Thursday and early Friday, KCNA said.

"The torrential rain coupled with strong winds ... has brought severe damage to various economic sectors and people. The damage was serious as there was heavy rain at night," it said.

For three hours from 6:00 pm (0900 GMT) on Thursday, 115 millimetersinches) of rain dropped in Tokchon while 110 millimeters fell in Maengsan, KCNA said. Both cities are in central South Phyongan province.

National and local authorities had joined people in the afflicted areas to help with recovery efforts, it added.

North Korea has a chronic food shortage, largely due to its inefficient socialist economic system and harsh natural environment.

But it became much more severe after heavy monsoon rains in 1995 and again 1996 resulted in devastating floods.