Hundreds of Chinese citizens queued up at hospitals and mobile donation buses to give blood in the aftermath of the Tianjin warehouse explosion.
The blast on Wednesday night killed at least 50 people and injured more than 700 others, including firefighters who responded to initial reports of a fire.
With many of those injured suffering skin trauma, hospitals in and around Tianjin issued appeals for blood donations – and were met with an overwhelming response.
Images and videos posted online, showing queues to donate blood snaking around buildings, were widely shared on Chinese social media.
Hospitals in and around the port city of #Tianjin pleading for blood donation. Please help if you're nearby.
— #YourBro (@ashren) August 12, 2015
Touched by the sight of volunteers in Tianjin lining up at one of the hospitals asking nurses whether they need help/blood donations
— Sui-Lee Wee 黄瑞黎 (@suilee) August 13, 2015
People lining up to donate blood on Nanjing Rd Tianjin. (Via Weibo) pic.twitter.com/by3iC8Yh01
— Fergus Ryan (@fryan) August 13, 2015
Video via wechat family member headed to donate blood, showing line of ppl donating blood at Hospital in #Tianjin pic.twitter.com/WRjHP7Q1JM
— Nethead (@nethead) August 13, 2015
Tianjin, a densely-populated port city, was hit by two blasts at a warehouse storing “dangerous” chemicals in the middle of the night.
The second, larger explosion – equivalent to 21 tonnes of TNT – registered as a seismic event with the US Geological Survey and was seen by satellites from space. Taijin Explosion - In Pictures
On Thursday afternoon, fires still burned at the industrial area but the efforts of firefighters were being scaled down to allow chemical experts to examine the site.
President Xi Jinping issued a statement demanding that authorities “make full effort to rescue and treat the injured and ensure the safety of people and their property”.
