TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Donations for the victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria have reached a total of NT$490.64 million (US$16.23 million), the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said Tuesday (Feb. 14).

Following the magnitude 7.8 tremor which hit the border region between Turkey and Syria on Feb. 6, Taiwan sent 130 rescue workers, while political leaders including President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) donated one month’s salary to the relief effort.

The MOHW set up a bank account to welcome donations from Feb. 7 to March 6. By 5 p.m. Monday (Feb. 13), at the end of its first week in operation, the account had received more than 100,000 donations for a total of more than NT$490 million, the Liberty Times reported.

The donations through the MOHW were eligible for tax deductions as they counted as charitable donations to an officially registered body.

The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation initially also accepted the donation of relief goods including clothes and blankets on behalf of the Turkish representative office in Taiwan, but due to the overwhelming success of the campaign, it halted the action last Saturday (Feb. 11), four days earlier than originally planned.