The double-tap attack came in two waves: The first caused a fire, and around half an hour later, a second strike hit while emergency teams responded. The strikes killed at least 16 people and injured 130 others, including children. Nine people remain missing, and search operations are ongoing.
Following the attack, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) paramedics transferred a 16-year-old girl from a hospital in Kryvyi Rih to Dnipro for specialized care at another hospital. MSF has been supporting Kryvyi Rih with ambulance services during mass casualty events.
“A patient had sustained blast injuries while on the ground floor of the shopping center, choosing a sweater,” said Borys Mitiai, MSF paramedic. “She was stable during the transfer and received oxygen, infusions, and other necessary care. She required anesthesia. After the transfer, doctors urgently prepared her for surgery to remove a fragment lodged in her forehead.”
Hospitals and health care workers in Ukraine continue to come under attack on a weekly, and sometimes daily, basis.
On the morning of August 22, the district hospital in Snihurivka, Mykolaiv region — which has a long-standing partnership with MSF, including support for tuberculosis screening — was reportedly hit by drones. Fortunately, no medical staff or patients were injured.
MSF recently documented the appalling number of attacks in Ukraine in a report, “No Safe Place to Heal.” Health care facilities, medical workers, and civilians must be safe and protected.
