Service centers set up to help Kunshan blast victims' relatives

Authorities have established service centers to assist relatives of the victims.

Phones here have been ringing off the hook. Authorities in Kunshan have opened a hotline for relatives, all desperate to locate loved ones missing after Saturday's factory blast explosion that left 75 dead.

"When we answer the phone, we record basic information about the missing victims that the relative is looking for. That includes their name, appearance, identity number, and the home location," Qin An, deputy director of Kunshan Public Service Center, said.

Many like Zhao Xiaofeng have been deployed here at the call center with shifts lasting over 18 hours. She tells us that assistance efforts are being made round-the-clock—that includes collecting information from relatives and checking them against official records for accuracy. They say they communicate with relatives promptly when relevant information is released.

Meanwhile, efforts are also being made over at Kunshan International Convention and Exhibition Center. The atmosphere is tense as many relatives can only wait, hope and pray.

Relatives of the injured are anxiously waiting for more details of their loved ones. Here, you can see the first batch of the injured people have been released. And the DNA tests have been used to identify those unrecognizable victims and notify the family members. It says that the authority will release the DNA test to the public in a timely manner.

Volunteers and medical staff say they also maintain a compassionate stance toward victim's families, as waiting for this kind of news is an emotionally taxing affair.

"We have communicated one-one-one with the relatives of those who have been injured, we persuade them to stay in hotels to have a rest. That will help preventing them from irritated by the bad mood of others," Volunteer Tian Mi said.

While investigation efforts delve into the cause of the blast for answers, it will take time for the wounds of injured survivors to heal. But perhaps for now, the deepest pains are felt by the loved ones of the departed.