BEIJING, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- The executive vice president of the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) on Thursday said it was unreasonable to charge the families of flood victims for the society to move corpses.
That's really unreasonable, although the charge was approved by the Beijing municipal price-making authority and the municipal health bureau, Zhao Baige, the executive vice president of the RCSC, said at a press conference.
Netizens have revealed that emergency buses from an RCSC-affiliated rescue center charged 620 yuan (97 U.S. dollars) to help transfer the bodies of their family members who died during a severe rainstorm in Beijing on July 21, which marked the heaviest rainstorm in six decades and left at least 77 residents dead in the capital.
Zhao said the charge demonstrated some existing problems in the charity's development.
Rescue centers should focus on boosting rescue capabilities and service levels rather than charging citizens during emergency situations, said Zhao, adding that the money has been refunded to the families.
The rescue center sent 632 buses for first aid and provided food for more than 1,400 citizens during the rainstorm on July 21, according to Zhao. Enditem
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