Ukraine family buries mother and child ‘burned to death’ in Russian strike that killed 33
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Oksana Bylo and her seven-year-old daughter Amelia were killed in a Nov 19 Russian missile strike on a residential building in Ternopil, Ukraine.
PHOTO: AFP
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- Oksana Bylo and her daughter were killed in a Russian strike in Ternopil on November 19, one of the deadliest attacks in Ukraine this year.
- The November 22 funeral saw grieving relatives and residents laying flowers, with Oksana's mother describing their "indescribable" loss and recalling her daughter's desperate call for help.
- The strike, which hit residential buildings, also left 90 people wounded, including children, highlighting the attack's devastating impact on civilians in western Ukraine.
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TERNOPIL, Ukraine - Grieving relatives in western Ukraine gathered on Nov 22 for the funeral of Oksana Bylo and her young daughter, killed Nov 19 in a Russian strike that flattened buildings and left 33 people dead.
The attacks in the city of Ternopil
During the Nov 22 funeral, attended by an AFP journalist, relatives and residents laid flowers in front of the coffins of the two victims and held a religious service.
Oksana’s mother described their loss as “indescribable” and recounted how her daughter had called her for help as their home caught fire.
“She called me at 6.30am to see if we were okay. We hadn’t heard the air raid siren,” said Galina, 65.
“She asked: ‘Mom, Dad, are you okay? There are lots of rockets flying around us.’ I told her to take the child, get dressed, take her papers, and leave the house,” she recounted.
But Oksana’s home was hit by the strike, which blew off the upper floors of several residential buildings in the city.
“She said: ‘Mom, Dad, help us, we’re burning, help us, help us!’ My husband rushed over, but when he arrived, everything was on fire,” she continued.
“They burned to death together. What a horrible death,” Galina said.
The Nov 19 attack also left 90 people wounded, with many children among the victims, according to the latest count by the emergency services. AFP
A Russian strike on Nov 19 in Ternopil, Ukraine, left 33 people dead.
PHOTO: AFP
