Taiwan's cabinet pledges to donate a month's salary to earthquake relief efforts in Türkiye

Vice president, prime minister, and his deputy also commit to donating their one month's pay, say officials

ANKARA (AA) – Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and her cabinet members pledged on Thursday to donate one month's salary to earthquake relief efforts in Türkiye, local media said.

Vice President Lai Ching-te, Premier Chen Chien-jen, and Vice Premier Cheng Wen-tsan have also pledged to donate a month's salary, according to a statement from Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan and Cabinet spokesman Chen Tsung-yen published by Central News Agency.

Taiwan's government has contributed $2 million to relief efforts and dispatched two rescue teams totaling 130 members and five rescue dogs to help with the ongoing search and rescue operation in southern Türkiye, which has been devastated by two powerful earthquakes on Monday.

The government also set up accounts for victims of two earthquakes, and so far $343,206 has been donated by the public, according to the news agency.

Two powerful earthquakes have caused close to 12,873 fatalities and 63,000 injuries. Whereas 28,044 people have been rescued from the rubble of collapsed buildings, according to the latest official statistics made public on Thursday.

The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 quakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, were felt by 13 million people across 10 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, and Sanliurfa.

Several countries in the region, including Syria and Lebanon, felt strong tremors that struck Türkiye in the space of less than 10 hours.

Kaynak: