Flooding along Yalu River, in North Korea and China

Heavy rain has sparked serious floods along the North Korean border, with Pyongyang's state media warning of "devastating" consequences.

Downpours swelled the Yalu river which forms the border between North Korea and China to untenable levels, sending floodwaters into homes on both sides of the frontier, state media in both nations said.

Floodwaters had inundated all houses, public buildings and farmland in three sectors of Sinuiju -- home to a North Korean military airbase -- and nearby rural communities, KCNA reported, without saying how many people were affected. Provincial and local officials joined military personnel in rescue efforts, North Korea's media said.

Widespread flooding this summer has caused an unspecified number of fatalities, according to state media reports from Pyongyang.