As Las Vegas residents reel from a deadly shooting that killed at least 58 people, a glimmer of humanity has shone.
Images being shown via US media outlets show dozens of people queuing outside medical centres to donate blood to the 500 injured victims in need.
People were lined up outside at least one United Blood Services building in the city of Las Vegas, local news station KTLA has reported, before the centre opened.
Some were in the queue for between six and eight hours.
It comes after Las Vegas’s mayor, Carolyn Goodman, called for donations during a news conference after gunman Stephen Paddock, 64, opened fire at outdoor country music festival-goers from his 32nd-floor window at the Mandalay Bay hotel.
“What we ask for is blood. That’s the main thing right now, is that if our people want to do something and they are healthy, then please donate blood,” Goodman said.
It’s the kind of display that spotlights slithers of humanity in times of tragedy that make headlines around the world.
Thankfully, it’s not the first time. In June 2016 Florida blood donation centres saw a surge in donations from people wanting to help the victims of the Orlando Pulse Nightclub shooting that killed 49 people and injured 58 more.
If you are reading this in the US and want to help, the Red Cross and United Blood Services are accepting donations across the country.