Bangladesh will provide at least one lakh metric tons of rice and other relief materials including drinking water to help the earthquake victims in Nepal.

"We have decided to send around 50,000 metric tons of rice to Nepal and sufficient amount of water on emergency basis," Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury told The Daily Star.

"We will send more 50,000 metric tons of rice and other relief materials later."

Food Minister Qamrul Islam has already been called for initiating an immediate measure in this regard, the agriculture minister said.

Bangladesh has been sending relief materials to Nepal regularly following the earthquake that killed at least 6,700 people so far, she said.

Bangladesh wants to stand beside Nepal as it played an important role in favour of Bangladesh's independence in 1971, Matia said.

Meanwhile, four cargo trucks carrying approximately 25 tonnes of essential relief materials for earthquake victims in Nepal left Dhaka this afternoon.

The cargoes will travel through Banglabandh-Fulbari-Panitanki-Kakarbhitta land route.

The relief materials include 3000 cartons (12 tonne) of dry food and fruit juice donated by Pran, and 5000 pieces of blankets donated by Brac, according to a press release of the Embassy of Nepal in Bangladesh.

Some of the materials were donated by various private companies, charitable organisations and educational institutions and others were collected by Nepalese and Bangladeshi volunteers.