After Tuesday's attack by Ethiopian soldiers, a doctor reached Togoga village to rescue his patients. He described the "horrible" scene in which people were lying on the ground with severe injuries and crying out for medical attention.
He told The Associated Press that it was extremely traumatizing. "I believe most of the patients died because they were too late to receive care.
He said that most of the patients who were taken to regional hospitals weren’t critically ill.
Col. Getnet Adane (military spokesman) told journalists that former Tigray leaders were being supported by fighters and had gathered to celebrate Martyrs Day at the time the airstrike took place.
He said that the Ethiopian Air Force uses the most recent technology and conducted a successful precision strike.
The doctor on the scene stated that most of the patients he found were mothers, fathers or elderly children. It was rare to find young men.
A regional health official stated that the airstrike left more than 100 people injured, with half of those hurt. According to health workers, Ethiopian forces prevented medical teams from arriving and fired at an ambulance of the Red Cross trying to reach the scene.
According to a Mekele doctor, bodies were still being pulled out of the rubble, and there were many survivors still arriving at regional hospitals with blunt trauma wounds and shrapnel two days after the airstrike. Transporting seriously injured people to Mekele was a matter of life or death according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the United Nations, told reporters on Thursday that the U.N. has not been able reach the scene. He stated that between the fighting and the various groups on the ground, we need clearance to move and we haven't been able to obtain it.
One of the most horrific massacres of war occurred amid fierce fighting in Tigray, since November, when conflict started. Ethiopian forces were supported by Eritrea and pursued Tigray's former leaders.
According to an Ethiopian military spokesperson, Tigray fighters have not claimed gains in recent days. He stated that Ethiopian forces were deployed to other areas for Monday's national elections.
The United States and European Union condemned the Togoga airstrike that left children, including one-year-old babies, homeless. Screaming in pain.
The U.S. State Department called it a "reprehensible act." It is unacceptable to deny victims the urgently required medical care they need. We call on the Ethiopian authorities immediately to provide unhindered medical access for the victims. We also demand an independent and urgent investigation.
The U.S. called for an immediate ceasefire in Tigray. There, thousands of civilians were killed and 350,000 are currently facing the worst famine in decades.
According to the U.N. humanitarian update, Thursday's latest report stated that at least 33,000 Tigray children are severely malnourished and could die without immediate assistance.
Ethiopia claims that aid has been delivered to the majority of Tigray's 6,000,000 inhabitants, but aid workers claim they have been denied access to certain parts of the region multiple times by soldiers.
Tigrayans, aid workers, and others have expressed concern that anyone linked to Tigray fighters could be targeted, especially since Ethiopia declared Tigray's former ruling Party a terrorist organization.
Tigrayans were shocked by Ethiopia's claim that the airstrike was only aimed at combatants.
Hailu Kebede, a Salsay Woyane Tigay official and former Togoga resident, said, "It's insulting to the people, and adding salt to their wounds, you know." He told how his brother, who owns a market shop, fled for his life as his home was destroyed.
"We are familiar with the area. There is a place where I grew up. Hailu stated that there were no combatants. "The homes that were destroyed are those of my friends, and my family."
He said that one of his friends had lost a child to the airstrike, while another child had her right hand amputated.
Hailu stated that the actual death toll could have been even higher as some people took the dead to their villages to bury them, and did not inform regional officials.
