Over 38,000 blankets expected to arrive Saturday

Bir Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, is crowded with patients on Thursday (local time). [Yonhap]
Bir Hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal's capital, is crowded with patients on Thursday (local time). [Yonhap]

South Korea will rush emergency relief supplies worth 130 million won ($94,900) — primarily thermal blankets — to flood victims in Nepal.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Friday that the government had decided to provide the relief supplies to help displaced residents in flood-hit areas of Nepal, adding that the items were scheduled to arrive by commercial aircraft on Saturday.

The shipment consists of two types of blankets: 36,000 emergency thermal blankets and 2,320 medium-weight thermal blankets.

Earlier, the government announced a $1 million humanitarian aid package for Nepal on Aug. 27, shortly after the floods struck. Those funds, channeled through the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, are earmarked for clean water supply, first-aid and sanitation kits, and basic health supplies for affected communities.

In addition, the government dispatched a 44-member Korea Disaster Relief Team — drawn from the National Fire Agency, the Korea International Cooperation Agency and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs — to Nepal aboard a military transport aircraft on Tuesday, and the team has been conducting search-and-rescue operations for the missing.

"The government will continue to communicate with the Nepali authorities and actively explore ways to provide the support that affected areas need," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.


sunpine@heraldcorp.com