Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation

Volunteers of the Tzu Chi Foundation in Taipei, Kinmen and Xiamen are working hard to help those injured in the crash of TransAsia Airways plane on Wednesday. They are providing free meals and hot drinks, visiting the wounded in hospital and comforting the relatives of those who have passed away.

Just before 11 a.m. on February, the plane with 53 passengers and five crew on board hit a bridge shortly after takeoff from Songshan Airport in Taipei and crashed into the Keelung River. It was bound for Kinmen, an island offshore Fujian province. According to the latest information, 31 people were confirmed dead, 15 were injured and taken to eight hospitals in Taipei and the other 12 are missing. Of the passengers, 31 were from mainland China.

Volunteers in north Taipei set up a co-ordination center and organized members from Nangang, Xizhi and Neihu to arrange a service centre to divide the work among the volunteers. So far the branches in Xizhi and Neihu have provided 1,000 hot meals and tea.

The wounded passengers were taken to eight hospitals in Taipei. The volunteers went at once to be with and comfort the relatives of those injured. With the agreement of their local community members, 40 volunteers prepared slippers, changes of clothing, blankets and other items which they distributed to relatives in the Cathay Hospital in Xizhi. At the same time, they prayed for the souls of the departed and that they rest in peace.

According the Taipei office of TransAsia Airways, the Tourism Office of Xiamen immediately set up an emergency group which went on Wednesday evening to Kinmen. On Thursday, they will take the first plane to Taipei to make arrangements for those who passed away. As soon as they heard the news, Tzu Chi volunteers in Xiamen went to travel agencies in the city to comfort the relatives and prepare lunch boxes for them. They will do all they can for them in the days ahead.

According to members of the military and the police, the search for survivors at the crash site continued into the night. The volunteers arranged four power generators and lighting equipment, to facilitate the search in the river.

They will continue to stand by the relatives who have lost loved ones and give them strength and spiritual comfort.

Report by Cai Yi-lin, Liang Jia-ming and Yan Fu-jian

Video:【Prayer for TransAsias Crash】Care For Emergency Workers