Blood donors flood Red Cross centres in Hong Kong to help 40 injured victims of fatal bus crash

Hongkongers wait hours outside donation facilities in effort to help those in hospital after tragedy

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At a Red Cross donation facility on Tai Ho Road in Tsuen Wan, about 100 people were seen queuing on Sunday afternoon. Photo: David Wong

Published: 9:15pm, 11 Feb 2018Updated: 11:52pm, 11 Feb 2018

More than 2,000 potential blood donors flooded Red Cross centres citywide on Sunday to help 40 injured victims of a fatal bus crash in Tai Po a day earlier.

At a centre in Causeway Bay eager donors were seen spilling out of the entrance as they queued to offer help.

As the facility was due to shut its doors at 7pm, dozens of people were still waiting in line – a sight which prompted the aid agency to extend its service hours.

Donors earlier in the day had been told by staff that they could be waiting up to four hours. Many were urged to come back another day or reserve a time slot online.

Regular donors among the crowd in Tsuen Wan said there was usually no line, even at weekends. Photo: David Wong

Bonnie Chiu Ka-po, 39, who had lingered around the centre on Russell Street for more than five hours before her turn came, said on Sunday night that giving blood was the most direct way to help the crash victims, and her wait had been worthwhile.

Chiu, a regular blood donor, said: “Lunar New Year is approaching. The accident was really sudden … I’ve been told that the blood bank in Hong Kong has been running low. I happened to be good to give blood – following a previous donation six months ago – so that’s why I came.”