Overseas donations exceed US$ 5.4 mln

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-04-2008 09:18

Donations from overseas for people in China's snow-stricken areas have exceeded 5.48 million US dollars.It includes funds from Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.

In Hong Kong, volunteers on the streets collected donations from the public. The action was organized by the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions.

In Hong Kong, volunteers on the streets collected donations from the public. The action was organized by the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions.

Huang Guojian, head of HK Federation of Trade Unions, said, "We're appealing to all 225 trade unions to launch such campaigns. We hope people in disaster struck areas will feel the concern and care from their compatriots in Hong Kong."

So far the total donated from the region is more than 10 million Hong Kong dollars.

Religious, commerce, and film sectors, as well as charity groups have been actively involved in the fundraising. The newly-elected Hong Kong People's Congress has decided to form a special team to help the mainland cope with the disaster.

Meanwhile, in New York City, nearly 2,000 students and overseas Chinese made donations as they attended a Lunar New Year celebration at the University of Colombia.

A student said, "I'm from Hubei province. My parents and brother are living there. So I know how hard their lives are now. I hope people can help their relatives, friends and other people in the disaster areas."

So far, the snow disaster has killed at least 60 people and has forced almost two million people to relocate. Nearly 6 million passengers were stranded last week and over 8,000 cargo trains were affected.

Editor:Zhang Ning