A cargo plane carrying emergency relief supplies from the US arrived at Pyongyang airport on September 3 to bring aid to flood-stricken areas of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Melvin Cheatham, special assistant to the president of the Samaritan's Purse, which was authorized by the US government to manage the relief effort, told reporters the plane was loaded with medicine, food, items for children, a water filtration system, blankets and other emergency relief supplies for the DPRK residents affected by the heavy rain and terrible flooding.
An employee of the Samaritan's Purse said at the airport that the supplies came from the US government and other non-governmental organizations and companies. "More supplies are on the way" he added.
The Boeing 747 plane, which belongs to the US Kalitta Airliner, departed from Chitose, Japan. The packages of supplies unloaded from the plane bore labels saying USAID, Samaritan's Purse and WMI (Water Missions International).
Victoria Newland, a US State Department spokeswoman, said on September 2 that the American government would send emergency supplies to the DPRK through non-governmental organizations.
The DPRK suffered massive flood damage due to heavy rains from late July. In August, the casualties in the disaster caused by Typhoon Muifa had reached some 30. More than 6,750 houses were destroyed and more than 15,800 people were left homeless.
The US government last month said that 900,000 US dollars in emergency relief aid would be sent to the DPRK to the flood-stricken areas.
