Death toll in Okhmatdyt could have been higher, adhering to rules saved lives

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has reported the aftermath of the Russian missile attack on Ukrainian cities on 8 July.

On that day Russia launched over 40 cruise missiles on Ukraine. The cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and others were struck. Forty-four people were killed. In total, 196 were injured, including 10 children.

Svitlana Vodolaha, the head of the press service of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, reported that the city of Kyiv was most affected – 33 people were killed. As a result of the missile attack 125 were injured, including 10 children.

"Emergency workers went to 7 districts of our city to 18 locations. Then we reacted to 500 requests concerning strikes and falling of missile fragments in Kyiv alone," Vodolaha stated.

Five locations were the most challenging – the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, the ADONIS private hospital, residential buildings in the Shevchenkivskyi and Holosiivskyi districts of Kyiv, as well as a business centre on the Ushytskyi Street. Most people were killed there.

Vodolaha stated that more people could have died as a result of the strike on the largest children’s hospital, where 600 children were being treated at the time of the attack, but, luckily, it was avoided.

"When our units arrived, we were preparing for the worst. Yes, people were killed but knowing how many people were there at once, the death toll could have been higher.

They were saved because the authorities adhered to safety rules," Vodolaha said.

A commission is working on site to assess the scale of destruction. Earlier Viktor Liashko, Minister of Health of Ukraine, noted that the destroyed building of the hospital will not be rebuilt but constructed anew.

The Russians also struck residential quartiers of the city, killing children. The emergency service stresses: the threat for schoolchildren has increased as many of them stay home alone during summer holidays.

"This strike has once again proved that safety rules must be followed, and when an air-raid warning is issued, it is necessary to go to a bomb shelter.

Our enemy is cunning. We relax, thinking nothing will happen. But it’s not the case. This is why our losses are colossal," Vodolaha explained.

In order to save your life, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine advises citizens to go to a bomb shelter as soon as an air raid starts. If there is not enough time to do this, civilians can also hide behind two walls according to the two-wall rule. It does not guarantee 100% safety but increases the chances of survival.

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