New Zealand police launch search for S. Koreans missing in quake

CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand, (Yonhap) -- Police in New Zealand on Monday visited the father of two South Korean siblings who remain missing since last week's deadly earthquake to retrieve evidence that could help identify the two, the South Korean embassy in Wellington said.

Police visited the 57-year-old father, Yoo Sang-cheol, at his motel in Christchurch to collect cell samples from his mouth and conduct a careful study of his children's belongings, the embassy said.

"The New Zealand police informed us that they would like to take a close look at the Yoo siblings' belongings in order to identify them in the worst case scenario," an embassy official said.

Quake-damaged vehicles are seen in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Feb. 27, 2011. The confirmed death toll from the New Zealand Christchurch earthquake rose to 146 on Sunday, while the number of missing people remains at more than 200. (Xinhua-Yonhap News)

The 24-year-old son, Yoo Gil-hwan, and 21-year-old daughter, Na-on, are feared to have been inside a six-story building when it collapsed in the 6.3-magnitude quake that hit New Zealand's second-largest city last Tuesday. Their father arrived here two days later.

If necessary, the embassy said it plans to bring the siblings' medical records from South Korea to be used by the local police here. It also said it has been impossible to check whether the two were among the 148 people confirmed dead so far, adding that the identification process is likely to take more than a month.

Local rescue authorities said bodies dug up from the rubble were damaged beyond recognition.

Meanwhile, South Korea's foreign ministry said it has decided to send New Zealand the relief supplies it requested, including tents, foldable bottles and electric generators. More than 2,000 items will be sent by air on Tuesday, it said.

The ministry last week withdrew its plan to dispatch South Korean rescue workers after authorities here said there were too many people working at the scene already. The two sides will continue to discuss any further supply of equipment or trained workers to help the ongoing recovery effort, the ministry said.