Girl group S.H.E. takes part in the telethon organized to seek donations for Kaohsiung.

Taipei, Aug. 8 (CNA) Donations have continued to pour in from all sectors to support relief and recovery efforts in the wake of the July 31 gas explosions that killed 30 and injured more than 400 others in Kaohsiung.

As of Thursday, a special account set up by Kaohsiung's Social Affairs Bureau had received 13,900 donations exceeding NT$2.38 billion (US$79.6 million) in total, including many from major businesses.

Another NT$65 million was raised during a four-hour telethon Thursday night organized by the Red Cross Society of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and local TV networks including Chinese Television System, Taiwan Public Television Service and Videoland.

In the United States, Taiwanese expatriate groups in and around New York and Los Angeles have also launched fund-raising campaigns in support of Kaohsiung.

The late night blasts, believed to be fueled by a leak of flammable gas from an underground pipeline, tore apart streets extending several kilometers in addition to causing hundreds of casualties.

(By Sabine Cheng, Oscar Wu, Huang Chao-ping and Y.F. Low)
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●Aug. 7: Celebrities, politicians join telethon to raise funds for Kaohsiung