As of 5:00 pm on Feb 15, donations received by the Red Cross societies in all areas administered by Taizhou totaled 33,858 yuan ($4,979).

The fund will be used for post-disaster reconstruction and the procurement of humanitarian supplies in Turkiye and Syria, both of which were hit by a 7.8-magnitude quake on Feb 6. This major quake was followed by a 7.5 magnitude jolt and hundreds of aftershocks.

Among the donors is Yuan Wenjun, a resident in Taizhou's Wenling county. "Syria was greatly affected by the earthquake, and many families suffered from the misfortune. I hope we can do our part to help them," Yuan said.

After learning of the disaster from televised news, a couple from Wenling donated 5,000 yuan to the Wenling Red Cross Society on Feb 8.

Apart from the donations, Zhang Dingge, a rescuer from the city, has also taken part in the relief efforts in Turkiye.

The 29-year-old, who is part of a 50-member rescue team, flew to Turkiye on the afternoon of Feb 11 and arrived in the country after an 11-hour flight.