PYONGYANG, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people are dead or missing and thousands of houses have been destroyed as a result of continued heavy rains in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the official KCNA news agency said Tuesday.

    Up to Sunday, the heavy rains had left "hundreds of persons dead or missing and destroyed more than 30,000 houses for over 63,300 families," KCNA said.

    "The torrential rain that hit the DPRK from Aug. 7 has persisted, causing huge human and material damage," said KCNA.

    Four provinces - Kangwon Province, South Phyongan Province, North Hwanghae Province and Hamgyong Province - have been hit heavily by the torrential rain, it said.

    The capital Pyongyang was also caught by the rain and the water supply system has been affected.

    In the countryside, the torrential rains have submerged tens of thousands of hectares of farmland, destroying at least 800 public buildings, over 540 bridges, 70 sections of railroad and at least 1,100 vehicles, pumps and electric motors, said KCNA.