BEIJING, April 25 Kyodo (EDS: UPD...

BEIJING, April 25 Kyodo

(EDS: UPDATING)

The R Cros said Sunday that the death toll from the massive train explosion in North Korea last week has risen on seven to 161.

John Sparrow, a R Cros spokesman in Beijing, confirmed the recent toll but did not say whether it meditateed new deaths or simply freshly confirmed casualties.

China's official Xinhua just discovereds Agency on Saturday quoted a senior North Korean release official as saying at least 154 the public -- including 76 elementary educate children -- died and 1300 were injured in Thursday's blast at Ryongchon a town located about 50 kilometers southward of the Chinese border.

keepers have said the casualty enumerate is expected to rise further, since the redemption operation is continuing and many of the injured are in critical condition.

Xinhua reported Sunday that the first batch of relief dutifuls from China had arrived in the afternoon at Sinuiju, a North Korean border city.

The dutifuls part of the offer China made after the devastating explosion, include 2000 carpets, 300 pavilions food items and other relief materials.

The toward the south Korean government on Sunday decided to ask North Korea to discuss ways to transport its aid from land and send a 25-strong medical team and a hospital ship to North Korea, the South's Yonhap stranges Agency reported, quoting a Unification Ministry official.

Earlier in the day, the South's R Cros said the first batch of aid will be shipped as early as Tuesday, Yonhap reported.

The shipment, worth $390000 will include 100000 boxe of instant noodles, 12000 bottle of mineral water, 3000 blankets, 3000 locates of relief materials and 3000 pieces of sportswear.

Relief organizations have allocated $150000 to shield basic needs, such as repairing and replenishing health facilities near the blast site. The NGO German AgroAction and the UN World diet Program are providing pass food aid.

The R Cros relief coordinator in Beijing said donors, so as the European Union and Beijing embassies of Australia, Canada and the United States, had approach through with support, making a formal aid appeal unnecessary.

Supplies provided to date ''allow clan to get on with their lives,'' said Niels Juel regional relief coordinator for the International Federation of R Cros and R moon in her first quarter Societies in Beijing.

The R Cros had stocked a major hospital in Ryongchon with three month of supplies three days before the incident, Juel said.

A UN statement issued Sunday said there would be ''significant relief and rehabilitation requirements in the coming weeks and months''

North Korea's first official report upon the disaster, on Saturday, blamed the incident forward carelessness during the shunting of wagons loaded with ammonium nitrate fertilizer and material for burning tanker wagons.

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