North Korea warns of natural disaster as heatwave sears crops

Citizens urged to wage all-out battle to preserve food stocks amid 'unprecedented' drought

The North Korean government has called on its people to wage an "all-out battle" against a record heatwave as the country's already fragile crops face drought and the authorities struggle to respond.

The drought represented an "unprecedented natural disaster", reported the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the ruling Workers' party. It urged citizens to "join the struggle" to save food production in a country that is no stranger to famine. Temperatures have reached more than 40C (104F) in some regions since late July and there have been sporadic reports of deaths from the heat.