The Democratic People's Republic of Korea balked at opening its heavily armed border to relief trucks from South Korea, even as aid groups sought help for thousands injured by a massive train explosion in the country.

　　As a cold rain fell on the devastated community of Ryongchon, relief workers warned that more food, blankets and medicine were needed immediately.

　　The Red Cross distributed a three-month supply of antibiotics, anesthetics and bandages to DPRK hospitals over the weekend, but the supplies have been used up and hospitals are requesting more, said Niels Juel, a Red Cross official.

　　The death toll stood at 161 and more than 1,300 people were injured in Thursday's blast, which was fed by oil and chemicals.

　　The Red Cross launched an emergency appeal yesterday for US$1.25 million in aid for blast victims.

　　Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency issued its first detailed report on the explosion yesterday, saying that about 8,100 houses or apartments were damaged, including 1,850 that were totally destroyed. "The damages are considerably big," KCNA said.

　　Japan, Russia and Australia are among the countries that have offered to send supplies.

　　China dispatched truckloads of tents, blankets and food.

　　But North Korea's border with South Korea remained sealed.

　　At a cargo depot near Seoul, Red Cross trucks loaded with medical supplies, bottled water, clothes and packages of instant noodles were awaiting the green light.

　　But North Korea was hesitant yesterday about allowing them across the Demilitarized Zone that has separated the two Koreas for over half a century.

　　The Pyongyang government also didn't respond to a South Korean offer to unload ships carrying relief goods at ports near Ryongchon.

　　Officials from North and South Korea planned to meet today in the northern city of Kaesong to discuss relief operations.

　　"It is most important to have the relief goods arrive in the site of the explosion as quickly as possible," said South Korean Prime Minister Goh Kun.

　　"By land or by sea, a quick means of transportation should be found."

　　Days after the catastrophe, details were still only trickling out from the DPRK.

　　Aid workers first arrived in Ryongchon on Saturday, and recounted seeing huge craters, twisted railroad tracks and scorched buildings.

　　Nearly half of the dead were children in a school torn apart by the blast, and the disaster left thousands of residents homeless, aid workers said.

　　North Korea's government has blamed the disaster on human error, saying the cargo of oil and chemicals ignited when workers knocked the train cars against power lines.

　　(The Associated Press)