Students in Russia's Far East launched a campaign on Thursday to help those affected by Japan's disaster, Alexandra Tatomir, a campaign organizer, said.
Students of the Far Eastern Federal University and other universities in Vladivostok have launched a Russian-language website entitled "Vladivostok Prays for Japan" (vladpraysforjapan.dtree.ru).
"Vladivostok is the closest Russian city to Japan, and we cannot stay indifferent to our neighbors' tragedy," a statement posted on the website said.
Tatomir, who represents Model United Nations in Vladivostok, said she had a friend in Japan, which was an important reason for her to initiate the campaign.
"It is very difficult to see how people close to you are suffering," she said.
The students also installed memory boards at their universities, on which everyone can express their condolences to the Japanese people, and charity collection boxes in supermarkets across Vladivostok. All the money collected will be handed over to the Japanese consulate, Tatomir said.
Japanese authorities confirmed on Wednesday that more than 13,000 people were killed or are missing as a result of last Friday's devastating earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan. Police figures put the number of confirmed dead at more than 4,300.
The disaster knocked out cooling systems at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Complex, raising fears of a nuclear meltdown as blasts were reported at several reactors. Japanese nuclear experts have been trying to cool the troubled reactors using seawater to prevent the release of radioactive steam.
VLADIVOSTOK, March 17 (RIA Novosti)
