Charges to move corpses are 'unreasonable'

Zhao Baige, the executive vice-president of the Red Cross Society of China, pointed out at a news conference on Thursday that it was unreasonable and unacceptable for the Red Cross branch in Beijing to charge the families of flood victims to move corpses.

"Although the charge for transportation and treatment costs was approved by the Beijing municipal price-making authority and health bureau, that was still unreasonable given it was during a huge disaster, and we must find out a better way to improve the quality and level of our rescue services," said Zhao.

Chinese Internet users revealed that emergency buses from an RCSC-affiliated rescue center charged 620 yuan ($100) to help transfer the bodies of people who died during a severe rainstorm in Beijing on July 21, the heaviest rainstorm in six decades that left at least 77 residents dead in the capital.

The incident briefly stirred up heated public discussions on the Sina micro blog, with most of the netizens saying that the RCSC's behavior was hurting people's feelings.

"I highly doubt that the transportation cost is reasonable. The RCSC should be a life-saving model, not to extract harsh terms under emergency conditions," said an online writer using the name "Chengzhongcun 007".

Another writer who claimed to be lawyer said the charge was against humanity and the values of the Red Cross.

"This incident demonstrated existing problems in the RCSC's capacity building, and in essence it resembled the cases of toll stations on the highway continuing to levy charges and traffic police still giving tickets during the heavy rain," Zhao said.

Rescue centers should focus on boosting rescue capabilities and service levels rather than charging citizens during emergency situations, said Zhao, adding that the money has been refunded to the families.

Ji Jin contributed to this story