Red Cross supports Okhmatdyt children's hospital after explosions in Kyiv

Ukrainian Red Cross Society (URCS) emergency response teams were deployed in Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih and Sloviansk following a wave of explosions which struck on Monday, 8 July 2024.

As of 9 July, official casualties were 38 confirmed deaths and over 190 injured. The escalation of conflict in Ukraine has now lasted nearly two and a half years.

In Kyiv, the Red Cross supported Okhmatdyt Children's hospital, the largest paediatrics facility in Ukraine, which was partially destroyed. The hospital had received Red Cross support through FCDO funding.

Evacuating injured children and clearing rubble

URCS volunteers and staff helped evacuate injured children and adults, clear rubble, and provided first aid and psychological support. Teams also provided food and water for victims and other emergency services responding to the explosions.

“We reached the hospital as soon as possible. We saw that one of the buildings was destroyed.

"The emergency response team immediately joined the rescue services to provide emergency support,” said Olena, from the Ukrainian Red Cross Society.

Teams also helped evacuate children undergoing inpatient treatment in the neurosurgery department in the nearby Okhmatdyt hospital.

The evacuation was carried out during another air raid alert and an attack on the city. Four children with spinal injuries unable to move independently and one child on a ventilator were promptly evacuated to a safer place.

Volunteers also gave first aid to those affected, and a tent was established to provide water and essential supplies to emergency services personnel and those working to clear the rubble.

Providing first aid at the scene

URCS volunteers also provided first aid to four victims and psychological first aid to 35 people affected by the blast. They also set up an aid station where 75 people were assisted with various needs.

The Holosiivskyi district branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross in Kyiv organised an aid station and collected needs for those whose homes were damaged.

The Ukrainian Red Cross supported at the scene of the strike. Volunteers of emergency response teams together with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, participated in the rescue operation, in particular, providing first aid and psychological first aid to the victims.

The Shevchenkivskyi district branch of the Ukrainian Red Cross in Kyiv was actively involved at the site, providing the victims and emergency workers with practical and emotional support. 

Response in Dnipro

In Dnipro, the explosions resulted in the damage of multi-storey apartment buildings, two dormitories, a college, a shop and a car.

The Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response team worked at the scene alongside other emergency services. The volunteers administered first aid to three victims and set up a mobile heating station to provide water, food and hot drinks to those affected and emergency workers.

Support in the Zaporizhzhia region

The Ukrainian Red Cross emergency response team in the Zaporizhzhia region was on-site alongside other emergency services, providing essential assistance.

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