Sunday, July 10 2005 13:08 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Believe it or not! RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) activists recently rescued 80 Christian priests trapped in an accident in the dense forests of Orissa's Sambalpur district and even donated blood to save their lives.

A marriage party comprising 90 Christian priests was on its way in a truck from Jamankeri village to Goudpil when it met with an accident in which 10 of them died on the spot and 80 others were seriously injured, said a report in the latest issue of RSS mouthpiece 'Organiser'.

As the Priests looked for help in the dense forests, an RSS activist heard their shouts and managed to mobilise 50 Sangh volunteers to help them.

"The Pastors were rescued and admitted to a nearby hospital, 45 kms from the site, in that dark night," the report said disclosing that the Swayamsevaks not only provided the injured medicines and food but "donated their own blood" to the pastors.

The weekly quoted Bishop Samal as saying, "These boys of RSS have given us a new life. We are grateful to them. May God bless them".

"We have not done anything much. What we have done has been done from the humanitarian point of view. All of us are human beings. All are children of God," it quoted B B Nanda, RSS State Secretary as saying.

The RSS has often been criticized by Christian organisations for targeting Christian missionaries in the tribal areas.