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Beijing / AFP
Political concerns over the North Korean regime are stopping vital relief aid from reaching the victims of a major flood there, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Saturday. Nearly 70,000 people are estimated to have lost their homes in disastrous flooding in North Hamgyong province in August and September that claimed more than 130 lives. Governments need “to put politics aside and recognise that this is a humanitarian tragedy,” IFRC’s communication manager for the Asia Pacific told reporters in Beijing following a trip to the region, adding that it was “difficult” for many to separate the issue of sanctions from the need for aid. The Red Cross began an emergency campaign for funds, but so far the response has been “disappointing”, he said.