China’s Yunnan Province was struck by a major 6.1 magnitude earthquake this past weekend, which took the lives of nearly 600 people and caused more than 200,000 people to relocate, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Apple, which has more than 6,500 employees in China, acknowledged the disaster in a formal email from the company’s CEO Tim Cook, who vowed to donate roughly $1.6 million to the Mercy Corps and the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) to offer relief for those affected by the quake.
Here’s the full email from Cook, courtesy of 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman.
Team,
Our deepest sympathies go out to the people of China’s Yunnan Province, which was struck by a devastating 6.5-magnitude earthquake over the weekend. Nearly 600 people died and over 2400 were injured in the worst earthquake to hit the region in 100 years. Rescuers have evacuated 230,000 people who are now displaced from their homes. The road to Longtoushan Township, the epicenter of the quake, has been blocked by landslides, making the rescue effort there even more challenging. Apple is eager to help. We are making a financial donation in support of the work of Mercy Corps and CFPA (China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation) to get supplies and relief to those affected by the earthquake and to help them through the process of healing and recovery. The tragedy in Yunnan Province is on the minds of many in the Apple community. Apple has over 6500 employees in China and Hong Kong as well as a growing developer community and deep ties to the workers in our supply chain who make Apple products. In this time of tragedy, our thoughts are with the victims and their families.
Tim
Apple also posted a message to its China website, which says the following:
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