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On August 13, China was shaken by massive explosions which occurred at a port warehouse in Tianjin. The powerful blasts claimed over a hundred lives, left hundreds injured, and the impact affected residents within several kilometers of the port.

Many affected individuals have been trying to evacuate in the aftermath of the disastrous incident, but with parts of the public transportation network affected, things don’t always go as planned. However, some selfless taxi drivers were reportedly picking up passengers from the affected areas and taking them to safety without charging a single cent, drawing a silver lining amidst the dark clouds of smoke rising from the ruins of the explosion.

Liu Yunlong, a journalist for Chinese news website Cnr.cn, reports that on the day of the disastrous event, when he was rushing towards Meihua Building to attend a press conference, he encountered a taxi driver who was on the road with his fare meter stopped at 0.00.

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Liu had just finished doing an on-site report in the vicinity of the explosion site when he flagged down the cab and hopped in, instructing the driver to take him to Meihua Building where a press conference regarding the incident was scheduled. The taxi driver immediately replied, “I won’t charge you for this ride, I’ll take you to Meihua Building right away!”

Before Liu could even ask why, a woman’s voice from the back of the vehicle told him that this taxi driver was driving around for free. It was only then that the journalist realized that there were two other passengers in the back seat, both of them evacuees from the affected area. The woman then elaborated that they were intending to return to their hometown until things settle down in Tianjin, and got picked up by this kind taxi driver who had been ferrying affected residents around entirely out of the goodness of his heart.

When interviewed, the taxi driver said, “The fuel for today’s drive will cost me just around 100 Yuan (US$15.65), but [doing this] would be a big help to the people who are trying to evacuate.”

The altruistic driver had been on the road since noon, and had already taken over a dozen passengers to safety. When Liu asked the driver for his name, the man smiled and politely refused to give it, only providing the journalist with an alias name: Tang Gu. According to “Tang”, there were a handful of other drivers in the area who were also providing free transportation to help the victims of the blast.

Kudos to the public heroes who have been assisting those in need!

Source/Image: Cnr.cn via ETToday