(Wang Ru)
Updated: 2008-05-15 07:51

Insurance saleswoman Wang Guiqin bit her lip as she saw her blood flowing through a plastic tube into a sterile bag at a mobile blood-collection bank stationed outside the Anzhen Hualian Shopping Center in downtown Beijing. But she soon broke into a smile as the bag gradually filled up.

Blood donors are urgently required, and people all over the country are responding in droves.

Originally from a village in the city of Mianyang, 90 km from Wenchuan, the earthquake's epicenter, Wang had a sleepless night on Monday, as she could not contact her mother and sister in Mianyang.

On Tuesday afternoon, Wang received a message from a relative telling her that her mother and sister were safe. They had been moved to a shelter.

"My family is lucky, so many people have died and tens of thousands still lie buried in the debris. I had to do something for them, so I decided to donate my blood," Wang said.

When Wang arrived at the blood bank early in the morning, she found many people were already waiting there. By 3 pm, the queue was 50 m long.

"When I saw so many people had gathered to help people in my hometown, I was moved to tears," Wang said.

"I am a Christian, I am praying for the people in Sichuan."

Zhao Zihua of the blood bank said: "We arrived at 10 pm on Tuesday, and found people were already waiting to donate blood. It takes about 10 minutes per donor, so I think we won't finish until 1 am today."

But he said his team will not leave until the last donor has been taken care of.