Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) Turkey's top envoy to Taiwan Muhammed Berdibek on Wednesday thanked the people of Taiwan after thousands donated winter clothes and other necessities to help the victims of Feb. 6's earthquake.
"I want to say words more powerful than 'Thank you', but I couldn't find. Thank you," Berdibek told CNA as he, his wife, and all the staff at the Turkish Trade Office in Taipei work tirelessly to handle the massive amount of donations for earthquake victims in Turkey.
Since the Turkish Trade Office in Taipei on Feb. 8 put out an appeal for assistance following the two deadly earthquakes that struck southern Turkey and western Syria, an average of 1,000 people a day are working to sort the donations, according to the Tzu Chi Foundation.
As of Tuesday, the volunteers have sorted and repacked the donated items into 22,632 boxes, and shipped 22,860 packages to the airport.
"I am really impressed. When I first came here I almost cried. I saw how kind and generous Taiwanese are," Berdibek said, recalling seeing boxes of donations overflowing the Tzu Chi Foundation's Neihu branch in the suburb of Taipei. "I couldn't believe my eyes."
What comes from the hearts of the people who made the donations is that "they are trying to support Turkey, Turkish earthquake victims," Berdibek added. "I really appreciated that."
Berdibek said the office is hoping to sort all the donated goods by Friday or Saturday and to transport them to support survivors in the stricken areas as quickly as possible.
The Turkish Trade Office has temporarily shut down its consular and visa business to work alongside the Tzu Chi Foundation to handle the continuous influx of donations and offers to provide other forms of assistance, such as trucks, or boxes for packaging.
Many Turkish people in Taiwan have also volunteered their assistance to the donation drive, Berdibek said.
"But we cannot do this without Taiwanese volunteering to help," Berdibek said, adding that he had been moved by the presence of children as young as 5 years old among the volunteers.
The death toll following the earthquakes has topped 35,000 in Turkey and 5,800 in Syria as of Wednesday and continues to rise, with millions of survivors left homeless and struggling to meet basic needs in the bitter cold, according to international media.
Berdibek said installing containers would help provide emergency shelters for victims in the earthquake-stricken region and he has received phone calls from some Taiwanese enterprises expressing intent to donate containers.
The outpouring of humanitarian assistance Taiwan has provided to Turkey has made him feel that Taiwan's support for Turkey has "no limit," Berdibek said.
Turkey's top envoy to Taiwan Muhammed Berdibek on Wednesday says no words can express his gratitude for help Taiwan offers to assist Turkey in the aftermath of two major tremors on Feb.6. CNA photo
In addition to Tzu Chi and also other charity groups' soliciting in-kind donations, government-designated accounts set up to receive cash donations from the Taiwanese public for relief efforts in Turkey had brought in NT$680 million (US$22.47 million) as of 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Meanwhile, in the wake of the earthquakes, a total of 151 Taiwanese rescue workers rushed to Turkey to assist in finding survivors.
The Taiwan Search & Rescue Team, comprising 130 rescuers and five rescue dogs, dispatched by the National Fire Agency, rescued two people from the rubble of collapsed buildings in Adiyaman on Feb.8 and Feb. 10, but one of them later died at a local hospital.
The Taiwan Search & Rescue Team returned to Taiwan Wednesday.
Meanwhile, a 21-member team with the International Headquarters S.A.R., Taiwan rescued an 18-year-old man in Adiyaman on Feb. 14 who had been trapped for around 198 hours.
In a statement made to CNA Wednesday, Berdibek expressed thanks to Taiwanese rescuers.
"Taiwanese search and rescue team rescued three survivors successfully, that's the most meaningful point," he said, adding that he would like to thank the people of Taiwan for their spirit of sharing adversity in saving others as they save themselves.
"The people of Taiwan care for all the victims of this disaster as if they were their own compatriots, no matter how many times we say thank you, it's always not enough," he said.
