The South Korean government said on Tuesday that it will provide emergency relief supplies worth US$2 million to earthquake-hit Chile, as the South American country is reeling from a magnitude-8.8 earthquake that slammed the country last Saturday.

The government has decided to send relief goods including tents, electric generators, water purifiers and blankets, and is considering sending a team of doctors and safety examination experts, according to Seoul's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Local media reported that the government stepped back from dispatching an emergency rescue team to Chile, as the Chilean government has not made an official request and the country has a well-established rescue system.

The ministry previously confirmed that some 2,240 South Korean nationals in Chile are alive, while issuing a travel warning against the quake-hit country.

(Xinhua News Agency March 2, 2010)