Taiwanese woman dies in Myanmar quake while on way to make donations

Taipei, April 2 (CNA) A Taiwanese woman killed in Myanmar during a strong earthquake on March 28, was traveling with her husband to make donations, a businessman based in the country said Wednesday.

At a news conference in Taipei, Yang Yu-chuan (楊友全), head of the Myanmar Taiwan Business Association, said the woman who was killed in the magnitude 7.7 earthquake had traveled to Myanmar to make donations to a local orphanage.

The woman was trapped after the earthquake caused the Great Wall Hotel Mandalay to collapse, and she lost vital signs on March 31, Yang said.

According to another association member, the woman's husband, who was with her in the hotel, managed to escape with only minor injuries.

Yang said that the husband would cremate his wife's body before returning to Taiwan.

The couple had been staying at a Buddhist temple but relocated to the Great Wall Hotel Mandalay because of difficulties communicating with the temple's resident monks, Yang said.

Moreover, attempts to rescue those trapped in the hotel were "very slow" because of a lack of adequate excavation equipment and power and water outages, Yang added.

According to Taiwanese authorities, the woman is the only Taiwanese national known to have died in the Myanmar earthquake.

International media have cited Myanmar's state-run MRTV television as reporting that the earthquake had caused at least 2,719 deaths, with 4,521 others injured and 441 missing, as of Wednesday afternoon.

Yang said Taiwanese businessmen in Myanmar had ramped up efforts to donate aid to affected areas.

According to Yang, 500 body bags are already on their way, and another 1,000 body bags and 500 mattresses are being prepared.

Another businessman, Wang Ming-hsiang (王明祥), told the press event that he had prepared two truckloads of supplies, including instant noodles, and that they would be delivered from Yangon to the affected areas on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) said it would open a designated account on April 8 to receive private donations.

OCAC head Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) said the donations would be used in three areas, assisting Taiwan-based students from the affected areas, financing the reconstruction of around 60 Taiwanese overseas schools damaged during the quake, and providing supplies to local victims.