Ukraine: Pregnant woman in viral image dies after maternity hospital attack
Story highlights
The heart-wrenching image by The Associated Press shows the woman stroking her lower abdomen which is full of blood
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on Monday said that a pregnant woman who was pictured being carried from a Ukrainian maternity hospital after it was bombed by Russian forces has died along with her unborn baby. The heart-wrenching image by The Associated Press shows the woman stroking her lower abdomen which is full of blood.
Last week, Russia bombed a children's hospital in the port city of Mariupol. As per Ukraine, the bombing in the besieged city took place during a supposed ceasefire that was meant to facilitate the escape of hundreds of civilians in the city.
President Volodymr Zelenskiy called it an "atrocity".
The woman in the picture was immediately rushed to another hospital. When she realised that her baby had died, the medics said, she cried out, "Kill me now!"
She has not been named.
The Associated Press spoke to surgeon Timur Marin, who found the woman's pelvis crushed and hip detached. Medics delivered the baby through cesarean section. However, it showed "no signs of life," the surgeon said.
"More than 30 minutes of resuscitation of the mother didn't produce results. Both died," Marin added.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry posted video footage of what appeared to be the badly damaged building of what it said was the children's and maternity hospital.
The footage showed holes where windows should have been in a three-storey building at the hospital, and huge piles of rubble, some of it smouldering.
(With inputs from agencies)