U.S.-based broadcaster CNN reports that North Korea has apparently returned to a state of famine following flood damage that has worsened food conditions in the communist country.

Reporting from the Chinese-North Korean border, CNN correspondent John Ray interviewed a North Korean woman who crossed the Abrok River on a tire to defect to China.

The woman, known only by her surname Kim, said she trudged through snow covered roads for a week searching for food.

Ray said there are many like her who are willing to go to great lengths out of extreme desperation.

The woman refused to show pictures of her family back home for fear that they could face retribution if their identities became known.

Ray said that famine is a daily reality in North Korea where basic necessities have become a luxury.