Broiled river eels delivered to Wuhan hospitals

About a hundred eel producers have joined together with logistics companies in Fujian province's Fuzhou city to deliver more than two tons of broiled river eels to hospitals in Wuhan, the epicenter of novel coronavirus outbreak.

"We are ready to send the eels one more time if they are welcomed among medical workers," said Chen Litong, one of the eel growers, after they arrived at Wuhan Union Hospital on Wednesday.

The idea for donating the eels started on Jan 26. Weng Youjin, a local large-scale producer of eel farming, proposed it and shared the idea with eel producers in Fuqing county in Fuzhou. Weng's peers unanimously adopted it. Noting that eels are rich in nutrition and easy to eat.

Weng spent the $57,397.80 donated by the local producers to purchase the broiled eels from several processors. However, there was a logistical problem: connecting with the hospitals tending to patients hit by the virus and the official procedures for delivery.

Logistics company Xingtai' reached out to the eel growers to help find the means of transportation when they were frustrated and decided to deliver the eels using their own refitted minibus after moving seats to expand the room inside for the eels.

Chen Xin, the partner at logistics firm Gaotong, said he would deliver the eels for free and was leaving for Wuhan on Monday.

On Tuesday morning, the eels were accepted by local officials in Hubei province and delivered to hospitals in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, including Wuhan Union Hospital and Tongji Hospital.

Lin Yuanjun contributed to this story.