International - Globescan   

Typhoon toll higher?

London: A typhoon in North Korea killed thousands of people more than the country has admitted, an analysis by a British scientist suggests. Satellite images of the region around the town of Yangdok, which was hit by Typhoon Bilis in July, reveal widespread devastation caused by floods and landslips. Dozens of apartment blocks were destroyed, bridges swept away and roads and railways wrecked. David Petley, a natural disasters expert, said the pictures showed the official death toll of 549 was ``absolutely not credible.'' He said: ``It is clear that Typhoon Bilis resulted in a disaster on an epic scale ." —

© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2006

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