Torrential downpours that pummeled North Hwanghae Province in the southern part of North Korea have inundated 70 percent of the farmland in the region, causing experts to predict a sharp decline in crop yields, the Choson Sinbo, a newspaper run by pro-North ethnic Koreans in Japan, reported on Saturday.

The area, around 110 km from Pyongyang, was hit by 480 mm of rain from July 12 to 15 and experienced 302 mm of downpours between Tuesday and Thursday. The rainfall damaged 168 homes in the region, the newspaper said.

The North's state-run Korean Central News Agency reported on Friday that a total of 6.4 sq. km of farmland in the province had been submerged by floods, including 3.6 sq. km of rice paddies and dry fields, together with roads, homes and public facilities.