South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon sent a message to his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi on Tuesday to offer his condolences after the death of 12 Chinese citizens in an explosion at a warehouse in the South Korean city of Icheon.

Song also pledged the South Korean government would take all measures needed to provide medical treatment for the injured and deal with problems arising from the explosion.

The Chinese Embassy in South Korea told Xinhua that 12 Chinese citizens were killed and another seriously injured in Monday's explosion and fire at the warehouse in Icheon, 80 km southeast of Seoul.

The blast also killed another 28 people.

(Xinhua News Agency January 9, 2008)