The Aloha Medical Mission is seeking monetary donations to send medicine and emergency supplies to the Philippines, which was hit last weekend by Typhoon Fengshen.

An Aloha Medical Mission team just returned last week from a previously scheduled mission in the Philippines, and the organization is keeping in touch with officials to see whether another mission is needed to help typhoon victims, said Dr. Antonio Tan, AMA board president.

"There have been people who expressed interest in going," Tan said. "We're just waiting to see if there is really a need. The typhoon has affected a lot of areas in the Philippines, and we don't really know which area needs the most help."

But in the meantime, the mission is collecting donations so it can send medicine and supplies to the Philippines.

A ferry carrying more than 800 passengers and crew capsized in the central Philippines during the typhoon, and it was unclear how many were trapped when the vessel went down. Only 56 survivors have been found; 146 bodies have washed ashore or were recovered at sea, officials said.

The typhoon also left 540 people dead and 277 missing elsewhere in the country, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said.

Tan said money generated from fundraising goes toward medicine and supplies, with all volunteers paying their own travel expenses.