On Friday, the world was shocked to learn that a Russian missile hit the city’s train station while thousands of people waited to leave in anticipation of a military strike next week. The attack reportedly killed at least 50 people and injured dozens of others, causing mounting pressure on the city’s hospital.
“We’re still under shock,” Liu told the Montreal Gazette on Friday. “Two days and three days ago, I was there evacuating patients. And I knew exactly where it was, I knew exactly the site, I knew the people in the railway station who were working there — so it’s been a tough day.”
The Médecins sans frontières effort to take patients from eastern Ukraine by train, which began last week and is a first for the organization, aims to reduce hospital capacity in areas targeted by the Russian invasion and to ensure safer care for the sick and injured. Medical staff on board provide basic care to patients stable enough to withstand a transfer spanning 20 to 30 hours. In about two weeks, a train dedicated to intensive-care patients will join the fleet.
