Three Taiwanese NGOs are bound for Nepal to help with rescue and relief operations following the worst earthquake there in 80 years.
The death toll following Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude quake has climbed to over 3,000 people, with another 6,500 injured.
The Taiwan Buddhist Tzu Chi Foundation sent a 15 member mission to Nepal on Monday morning. The team includes surgeons, physicians and emergency room doctors.
Two other NGOs, the Buddha’s Light International Association and Taiwan’s Red Cross Society, will send a joint rescue team on Tuesday. That team will be made up of over 30 people, who will bring much-needed relief goods such as tents and blankets.
World Vision Taiwan and the Red Cross Society have also both launched fund-raising campaigns to help the quake victims.
Meanwhile, according to the foreign ministry, there were 204 Taiwanese people in Nepal at the time of the earthquake. So far, 183 of them have been reported safe, but authorities still have yet to account for 21 people.