Red Cross feels heat for summer quilt shipment

China's Red Cross found itself in the crosshairs once again on Monday after sending thousands of thick cotton quilts to residents in South China's provinces currently suffering through a heat wave.

The quilts were among a number of donated relief supplies to aid those affected by super typhoon Rammasun in Guangdong province, Hainan province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, The Red Cross wrote on its official Weibo account.

The Guangdong Red Cross shipped 2,000 quilts to disaster-hit areas in the province as temperatures reached over 35 C, the Beijing News reported on Monday.

Net users were quick to question the usefulness of quilts in sub-tropical temperatures and accused the Red Cross of wasting donated money. Some suggested that straw mats would have been a more appropriate donation.

Red Cross personnel explained that though the weather is hot during the day, quilts and blankets are necessary during the night.

Most victims of the typhoon have lost everything they own in the storms, they added.

Residents of Hainan Province noted that children and the elderly often use quilts to keep warm during the damp, cool summer evenings, hinews.cn reported.

Some Net users expressed their support for the Red Cross by saying that many are quick to judge the organization based on its past scandals.