After an explosion at a chemical plant killed 47, residents of Xiangshui county in Jiangsu province have flooded centers to donate blood for the severely injured survivors.

There were so many people coming in to donate blood that the organizers at one center ran out of application forms, China Daily discovered Friday afternoon.

"On average, people have to wait for at least five hours for their turn," said Meng Xianghua, a member of the local labor union that has been assisting in the drive to build up blood supplies following the blast.

He said one of his neighbors came in at 8 am Friday and had to wait until 1:30 pm to donate. "There are so many people coming that we failed to count how many people have donated so far," he added.