South Korea To Provide Blankets, Other Emergency Relief Supplies To Nepal Flood Victims

SEOUL, Sept. 4 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- South Korea will provide additional emergency relief supplies worth 130 million won (US$95,850) to help people affected by the recent massive floods in Nepal, the foreign ministry said Friday, Yonhap News Agency reported.

The supplies, including 36,000 emergency thermal blankets and 2,320 heavy-duty thermal blankets, are scheduled to be sent to Nepal aboard a commercial flight Saturday, according to the ministry.

South Korea had previously announced $1 million in humanitarian aid for Nepal after massive floods and landslides hit the country's Rasuwa District near the Nepal-Tibet border on Aug. 26.

The aid will be delivered through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to provide drinking water, first-aid and hygiene kits and basic health supplies to people in the affected areas.

The disaster has left more than 1,200 people dead and nearly 6,000 still missing, including nine South Koreans. Seoul dispatched a Korea Disaster Relief Team (KDRT) to support search and rescue efforts.

"The government will continue communicating with the Nepalese government and actively seek ways to provide assistance needed in the affected areas," the ministry said in a release.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP