Two Girls Orphaned and Badly Injured by Shrapnel Following an Airstrike in Yemen

FAIRFIELD, Conn. (June 22, 2018)—Save the Children has begun assisting two sisters, Shadia*, 2, and Wafa*, 6, who have been orphaned and badly injured following an airstrike that hit near their parents' vehicle, close to the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah.

The attack, which took place on Tuesday, killed their parents and two of their aunts as they were traveling to Hodeidah, the Yemeni city that has become the latest front line in the three-year war to control the Middle East’s poorest country.

The two girls suffered horrific burns and were badly wounded by shrapnel after a missile exploded near their car, setting it ablaze. Passers-by were able to pull the girls from the wreckage. 

Save the Children is covering the girls’ medical bills and also providing financial support to the wider family so they can visit the children and support them in their recovery.

“Save the Children staff have just come back from visiting the girls caught up in this horrific attack. The youngest girl is just two years old and was conscious when our staff saw her. All she could do was cry out for her mother in vain. Her older sister has been in and out of consciousness since the incident. She has suffered a head injury, been hit by shrapnel all over her body and received serious burns to parts of her body,” said Dr. Mariam Aldogani, Save the Children’s Field Manager in Hodeidah, following the attack. 

“These girls are among the latest victims in this senseless war. They've lost so much, at such a young age, with both their parents and two aunts taken from them in an instant.

"Far too many families in Hodeidah are enduring unimaginable suffering right now as a result of this assault. The roads are crowded with people trying to get out, but not everyone can afford to make it to safety. Our staff are telling us that bus fares have doubled and gas is expensive and difficult to find. Shops are closed, there are tanks and soldiers in the streets and warplanes dropping bombs from above. Water in some districts has run out and far too many children do not have enough to eat."

"This blatant disregard for civilians’ lives by all parties in this conflict must stop,” said Carolyn Miles, President & CEO of Save the Children. “The United States must put its weight behind a call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and press all parties to come to the table to find a political solution.”

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*names have been changed 

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