The first batch of relief materials worth 1 million US dollars promised by the South Korean government will be shipped as early as next Tuesday to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Yonhap news agency reported on Sunday.

"We'll ship the materials immediately after the means of transport are secured," an official of the South Korean National Red Cross was quoted as saying.

South Korea decided to provide the aid to the DPRK after a devastating explosion hit the Ryongchon rail station, near the border with China, which killed over 150 people and injured around1,300.

The relief package includes 100,000 boxes of instant noodles, 12,000 bottles of mineral water, 3,000 blankets and 3,000 pieces of sportswear, the report said.

According to President of the South Korean National Red Cross, Lee Yoon-gu, who just returned from Pyongyang Saturday afternoon following a fact-finding mission, the DPRK had officially informedhim of the Ryongchon tragedy and asked for help from South Korea.

The South Korean National Red Cross on Saturday proposed to itsDPRK counterpart that the two sides hold a contact meeting to discuss further ways of providing aid to all the blast victims and rebuilding destroyed facilities in Ryongchon, Yonhap added.

Source: Xinhua