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Volunteers describe chaotic scene of broken glass, collapsed buildings and
injured victims.Posted on August 17, 2015, 3:56 PM Smoke billows from the
explosion site in Tianjin, China.Hong Kong: Catholics volunteers in Tianjin,
China, were among the initial responders to those injured in the Aug. 12 fatal
blast.
The morning after the blast, the Tianjin Diocesan Social Service Center helped
line up 60 volunteers to assist the government's rescue and relief work. The
volunteers donated drinking water, clothes and other supplies to hospitals and
temporary settlements for evacuees.
At least 114 people were killed and hundreds more injured after a series of
explosions rocked Tianjin, a port city about 120 kilometers east of Beijing.
Volunteers were briefed on chemical contamination before heading to the
disaster area, where officials divided them into groups and dispatched them to
various relief camps and hospitals.
Ignatius Song was stationed about 500 meters from the blast site.
Song described a chaotic scene with emergency vehicles and ambulances
delivering the injured to hospitals while bringing in much-needed supplies.
"Broken glass was everywhere on the road that led to the blast scene. There
were collapsed buildings. It was like watching a disaster movie," said Song,
who helped evacuate residents.
"There was a long queue outside the mobile blood donation center. Many private
cars and taxis offered free transportation. A number of hotels provided free
accommodation and meals. There were nearly 100 volunteer groups formed by NGOs
or individuals," he added.
Another Church volunteer Joseph Hua said, “When our team entered the hospital,
it suddenly came to mind that we were facing was a real disaster.”
After the explosion, Tianjin Catholics took to social media to plead with
others not to come to the scene out of curiosity.
Coadjutor Bishop Melchior Shi Hongzhen, a Vatican-approved bishop whom the
government recognizes only as a priest, lives at Tanggu district's Chongxinqiao
Church, which is about 10 kilometers from where the blast happened.
An underground priest who works with Bishop Shi told ucanews.com that in the
hours following the blast, they celebrated Mass and prayed for "the dead, the
injured and their families."
“This is the only thing that we can do,” the priest said.
In downtown Tianjin, Fr. Zhang Liang of St Joseph's Cathedral appealed for
donations and choir members gathered to give blood.
“Tianjin is not short of money. What is needed now is relief supplies. But
since roads that lead to Tanggu are blocked, we have to ask friends and
relatives who live in that area to buy and dispatch the relief supplies for
us,” said Ma Bao, a lay worker at the cathedral.
Source: UCAN
