Many local residents and some men of services in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province, have voluntarily responded to a latest initiative to donate blood for the victims of a recent bus fire that killed 27 people. The bus fire occurred on June 5 in Chengdu also wounded 74 others. Reports said it took only a few minutes for the deadly blaze to engulf the whole bus after the fire broke out.

A citizen gives blood for the bus fire victims in the General Hospital of the Chengdu Military Regional Command in Chengdu, on June 9. [Chinanew.com]

Chinanews reports on Wednesday that the amount of blood earlier kept in a local hospital in Chengdu where the injured passengers are hospitalized was only enough for two or three days following the tragedy.

Following the call for urgent blood donation, many volunteers arrived at the hospital, the General Hospital of the Chengdu Military Regional Command in Chengdu, on Tuesday to donate their blood for the victims.

Among them was Lai Fuchuan, a 32-year-old local worker, who only heard the donation call on his way home on Tuesday afternoon. Instead of going directly home, Lai immediately went to the hospital and donated 600 milliliters of blood, three times of a normal donation amount. "I'm just trying to do a bit to help out the poor victims," Lai told the press after he gave his blood.

An official in the hospital told the media that the need for blood was met with timely support from local residents and some men of services. Altogether, there were over 60 citizens and 55 other soldiers offered blood on Tuesday.