$45.6m raised for Taiwan train crash victims, survivors
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Katherine Wei, Katherine Wei Taiwan Correspondent In Taipei
Donations totalling some NT$968.4 million (S$45.6 million) have poured in for the victims and survivors of Taiwan's deadliest train accident in seven decades, said Taiwan's Health Minister Chen Shih-chung on Wednesday.
The amount includes personal donations from President Tsai Ing-wen, Vice-President William Lai and Premier Su Tseng-chang, who announced on April 5 that they would each be donating a month's salary.
The deadly derailment of the 408 Taroko Express train in Hualien on April 2, which left 49 people dead, shocked Taiwan.
The amount donated is huge, more than three times that raised following the series of gas explosions in the southern city of Kaohsiung in 2014, which killed 32 people.
About NT$300 million was collected then.
At a press conference, Mr Chen said that the funds raised for the train crash will be used to help the families of the victims, as well as survivors.
A third of the total amount collected will go towards financing the everyday needs of the 49 victims' families.
Half of the victims were between the ages of 23 and 45, making them the likely main breadwinner of their families.
The rest will be used to defray the cost of, among other things, medical bills not covered by the national health insurance scheme, as well as mental healthcare for victims' families and survivors.
In addition, funds will be allocated to the victims' families and injured passengers for legal proceedings, should they require assistance.
"Aside from mental health services, all of the financial assistance will be distributed in cash form," said the minister, who added that mental health services would be provided to survivors, their families and the victims' families for up to three years after the accident.
A committee has been formed to supervise the allocation of funds and its head, Ms Lee Li-feng, who is also the deputy health minister, said there will be two seats set aside for representatives of the victims.
But the authorities had yet to decide how to choose them.
"One social worker has been assigned to each family affected (by the crash), and will be gauging how the families feel before we choose anyone," said Ms Lee.
Both Mr Chen and Ms Lee pledged to maintain transparency on how donations will be used.
