Tragedy in Mykolaiv Oblast: UDS Paramedics Provide First Aid
On November 19th at 2:20 PM, while executing Ukraine's first state contract for humanitarian demining near the village of Myrne, Mykolaiv Oblast, based on a decree of the Ukrainian Mine Action Center (UMAC), UDS demining specialists received a radio signal about an explosion involving employees of the Ingulets River Channel Management of the State Water Resources Agency of Ukraine near the area where UDS was conducting humanitarian demining operations in Mykolaiv Oblast.
As it turned out, the channel management employees were cleaning the channel near the area where UDS was demining. According to the IMSMA database, in June 2023, the Demining Solutions mine action operator identified the Shevchenkivskyi Canal R-9 and adjacent territories as a contaminated area with the threat of unexploded ordnance and cluster submunitions. Moreover, numerous mine danger signs were placed throughout this territory, but unfortunately, the warnings about the danger were ignored.
UDS medical department paramedics Alyona Kotsiurubenko and Yevgeny Chernykh went to the scene in a service vehicle designated for evacuating the injured. At the same time, on the command of the demining operations supervisor, humanitarian deminer Serhiy Plotcyn made a safe passage with a metal detector to the injured.
Immediately upon arriving at the scene, UDS paramedics sorted the wounded and began providing first aid.
Among the injured, one had minor injuries, three had severe injuries, and one person died on the spot due to fatal injuries.
At the same time, UDS employees called for emergency medical assistance for the less mobile injured and additionally involved personnel from the group working in the demining area to assist UDS paramedics.
UDS paramedic Alyona Kotsiurubenko, in a service vehicle designated for evacuation, with three injured people, according to the agreed-upon emergency response plan, went to the appropriate medical facility and halfway to the hospital transferred the patient with severe injuries to an emergency medical team that was already moving towards them. After transferring the severely injured patient, Kotsiurubenko Alyona continued to the medical facility and transferred two injured people to the medical facility for further hospitalization.
UDS paramedic Yevheniy Chernykh remained at the scene and provided assistance there, as another injured person had severe injuries and was unconscious and not breathing independently.
Throughout this time, he performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and provided full assistance until the arrival of the emergency medical team. After that, Yevheniy transferred the injured patient with signs of life to the emergency medical team.
In a matter of minutes, five people were injured. Severe injuries, likely caused by a fragmentation grenade F-1 that was set on a tripwire. Four of the injured had massive bleeding from the upper and lower extremities, from which a person can die within the first 5 minutes, multiple shrapnel wounds to the chest, abdominal cavity, and multiple soft tissue injuries...
Fortunately, UDS medical personnel were on hand with all the necessary equipment and were able to provide high-quality medical care, but the mechanism of mine-blast injury is extremely dangerous and often leads to tragic consequences - three of the injured died.
We urge all citizens to be aware and value their own lives and safety. Russia is trying to destroy us every day. Don't help them.
UDS calls on owners of contaminated or potentially contaminated land to be responsible and contact specialists for timely cleaning of their land to avoid tragic situations. Any work can only be carried out after receiving an official document confirming the safety of the territory from unexploded ordnance!
The actions of UDS employees, from the operations manager to paramedics and sappers, once again demonstrate the importance of strictly adhering to standard operating procedures, which our employees actually followed, as well as the need for regular training and maintaining tactical medicine skills not only by demining specialists but by every Ukrainian. These skills really save lives!
UDS also calls on mine action operators to conduct regular training of personnel, provide them with everything necessary to respond to emergencies, and strictly adhere to safety rules!
Take care of yourselves, value your lives and health.