TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Taiwan Foundation for Disaster Relief (TF4DR) said on Sunday (April 28) that it will close its special donation account early next month after raising approximately NT$1.4 billion (US$4.3 million).
The account will be closed at 11:59 p.m. on May 3, according to a TF4DR press release. Both the WaBay and LINE Pay accounts will also be shut down on April 30 at 11:59 p.m. and on May 2 at 11:59 p.m., respectively, due to operational reasons, it said.
The foundation began accepting donations for the April 3 Hualien earthquake the day after it struck the eastern city. The funds raised will be used exclusively for disaster relief and assistance to affected individuals, covering four major areas: disaster relief, emergency medical care, shelter, and reconstruction, according to TF4DR.
The 7.2 magnitude quake struck Hualien at 7:58 a.m. and is the largest Taiwan has seen since September 1999. The quake led to 18 deaths and has caused more than a thousand aftershocks to date.
Multiple countries, including Japan, Thailand, South Korea, and Lithuania, donated to Taiwan to help with quake recovery.