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Mainland religious associations pray for Taiwan quake victims

Xinhua, February 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

Chinese mainland Buddhist and Taoist associations on Friday held prayer rituals in Beijing for victims of the earthquake that struck southern Taiwan on Feb. 6.

Monks from major Buddhist temples in Beijing chanted prayers at Guangji Temple, along with Taiwan businessmen living in the capital and hundreds of believers, the Buddhist Association of China (BAC) said in a statement.

China Taoist Association (CTA) also held a prayer session at Beijing's White Cloud Temple.

The two associations have donated a total of 820,000 yuan (125,346 U.S. dollars) to help the quake victims.

Master Chuanyin, president of the BAC, said compatriots across the Taiwan Strait are inseparably linked to each other, urging the Buddhist circle on the mainland to offer aid and help survivors to get through the suffering.

The quake, which the China Earthquake Administration said had a magnitude of 6.7, hit Kaohsiung city at 3:57 a.m. Beijing Time on Saturday, just two days ahead of the Lunar New Year. Local monitoring authorities put the scale of the quake at 6.4.

The death toll had climbed to 94 as of 10:50 a.m. Friday, with about 30 people still missing. Endi