The Spanish aid worker, Emma Igual, 32, has died after the convoy of the NGO she led, Road to Relief, was hit by a Russian attack near Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine, as confirmed this Sunday by the Ministry. of Spanish Foreign Affairs.
The NGO for which the aid worker worked has reported through its Instagram account that the vehicle in which four members of its team were traveling from Sloviansk to Bakhmut to assess the needs of civilians caught in the crossfire in the city of Ivanivske, received a Russian attack on Saturday morning. Due to the impact of the projectile, the car overturned and caught fire.
"We have verbal confirmation of his death," said the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, who specified that he has indicated that they are now waiting for "a certified confirmation from the Ukrainian authorities."
Traveling with Igual were the Canadian volunteer Anthony “Tonko” Ihnat, who also died, and the German medical volunteer Ruben Mawick and the Swedish volunteer Johan Mathias Thyr, who were injured.
The small town of Bakhmut suffered the longest and bloodiest battle of the war before falling to Moscow in May. But Ukrainian forces are holding out in nearby villages on the west side, from where they are launching a counteroffensive.
Emma Igual, who was also the co-founder of Road to Relief, was working on the front lines, going to the most affected villages to assess the situation and carry out evacuations. Her team was also in charge of delivering humanitarian aid in the areas most affected by the war during the last 18 months that they had been working in Ukraine, according to the NGO.
