According to the woman, the family was sleeping and did not hear the air raid signal – people were awakened by the first explosions. After that, they tried to get to the shelter, but the subsequent explosion destroyed the building and scattered them in different directions.
“We opened our eyes when there was this glow, light, explosion, fire, windows were flying out. And my husband simply said: “Take the child and go.” “Run.” I take the child in my arms and go out into the corridor with her. And as soon as I step one step, there is another explosion, fire, and we are already falling several floors below,” the woman recalled.
After the fall, in order to protect her daughter, Yavorskaya covered her with her body among the rubble, which continued to crumble. The mother sang songs to the child and held his hand, not knowing if they would survive.
“Under Carolina there was a blanket that her uncle gave her. I think that he saved us. I will never forget those children’s frightened eyes. […] She lay there, stroking my hair. I thought that this was our last night and they would never find us again,” Yavorskaya said.
The woman repeatedly called for help and shouted to rescuers that there was a child under the rubble, trying to signal their location.
At this time, her husband Dmitry was in the destroyed part of the apartment and tried to help others evacuate. He also covered a nine-year-old boy from the visiting family with his body. Later, the man was able to take him outside through the fire exits, and the child’s mother was also subsequently rescued. He knew nothing about the fate of his own wife and daughter and until the last he feared the worst.
Rescuers from the State Emergency Service, dismantling the structures, heard voices and saw Yavorskaya’s hand. They began to carefully dismantle the wreckage so as not to cause additional injuries, because the woman was covering the child. First, little Carolina was taken out from under the rubble, carried out in her arms and handed over to doctors and her father.
A photo of two-year-old Carolina being carried out of a destroyed house in her arms by a rescuer has gone viral on social networks. Carolina’s mother later allowed this photo to be published without blur, because “she wants the world to see these eyes,” they said in the State Emergency Service.
Doctors noted that the little patient’s condition was stable, although she suffered a concussion, bruises and eye problems, her father said. Alena’s injuries were more serious, and doctors even considered the risk of leg amputation due to prolonged circulatory problems, but timely assistance allowed this to be avoided.
After several days of treatment, the family was finally able to meet at the hospital.
“We were just silent and hugging. There were no words, there was nothing. Just hugs and finally a feeling of security,” the couple recalls.
Subsequently, the family also met with the rescuers involved in their rescue.
“Carolina immediately ran up to them, as if she felt that they were her guardian angels. We cried and hugged them. There was simply no other way,” Yavorsky added.
Now the family continues recovery and rehabilitation, temporarily living with relatives, since their apartment was virtually destroyed. Despite the tragedy they experienced, they say that the greatest value for them is that they stayed alive together and support each other.
Context
As a result of the Russian attack on the night of April 6 in Odessa, the premises of a kindergarten, a store, a park, a 20-story residential complex, eight private households, and an administrative building were damaged in different areas. Three people died after the strike on the six-story building, including a 30-year-old woman and her daughter, who was two years and six months old, and a 53-year-old woman.
