People wait in line to donate blood at a donation point after a deadly chemical factory blast killed dozens in Xiangshui county in Jiangsu province on Friday. (Photo by Wang Jing/China Daily)
Zhang Yinlong, whose home is about 20 kilometers away from the donation point, had come in for the fourth time on Friday to give blood.
"I came at 5 pm yesterday, but only found an extremely long line. I went back home and came back again at about 8 pm, but had to give it up after waiting for two hours," said the 38-year-old.
The welder spent another three hours on Friday morning but had to quit again as he had to pick up his son from primary school at noon. He joined the line again after lunch, but he didn't have any idea about when his turn will come when China Daily interviewed him at 4:30 pm.
There were so many donators that the organizers brought dozens of stools to the site so that people could rest after waiting a long time.
Many people also came to Xiangshui People's Hospital to offer free food and medicine for those hospitalized. Chen Yueru, a member of local volunteer association, said they have received 2,177 boxes of packed food for lunch, more than 10,000 bottles of water, 24 boxes of ham sausage and 14 boxes of instant noodle and 500 breads at the hospital.
She said clothes are in demand for many of the injured as the belongings of many have been buried in debris and stained with blood and dirt.