A top official of the U.N. food agency has warned of a possible famine situation in the North due to the recent heavy rains.

Paul Risley, the spokesman for the World Food Program’s Bangkok office, said that thousands of hectares of farmland were flooded, comparing the current situation to the famine in the 1990s.

The agency’s Pyongyang office inspected Songchon, South Pyongan Province on July 20th to assess damage after a downpour the previous week.

The spokesman stressed that the world should be aware that food security for thousands of North Koreans were at risk at the moment.

He also urged Pyongyang to make pragmatic decisions in dealing with the situation.