ONE girl, 12, died and hundreds of children from occupied Ukraine have been hospitalised with a mysterious high fever.

They were removed from a long-distance train in Russia suffering acute sickness. 

4

4

4

The children are all from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian region Luhansk, and were on a train returning from a “holiday” in freezing Siberia. 

A total of 126 children and 11 accompanying adults have been rushed to an infectious diseases hospital in Saratov. 

Almost 60 children showed signs of acute respiratory viral infection and seven had a very high temperature, reported news outlet 72.ru.

The train from Tyumen to Adler, a 2,026 mile routing, was initially  halted in Penza region where doctors rushed onto the train – but they were unable to save the girl. 

It went on to Balashov station in Saratov region after the death of the girl who was named as Veronika Yusupova.

She had complained of feeling ill and had a temperature of 39C, said reports. 

It was revealed that six children were already sick when they boarded the train – but were made to travel away, rather than given medical treatment. 

“The sick were placed in two reserved compartments and covered with a curtain,” said a report by Mash Ural news outlet.

“Half a day later, the rest of the children began to complain about their condition – all of them had a fever of 37C.

“They were moved to separate carriages.”

Veronika was treated with paracetamol by a doctor on the train. 

“In the evening, the schoolgirl turned pale and lost consciousness,” said the report. 

“The doctors tried to save her – they performed artificial respiration and cardiac massage until the ambulance arrived.”

“However, doctors were unable to resuscitate the child, and the schoolgirl died,” said a REN TV source

At Balashov, ambulances were waiting and first children with symptoms were rushed to hospital.

Health watchdog Rospotrebnadzor reported the emergency incident is under “special control”.

 A 24-hour hotline has been set up for parents so they can check on the condition of their children.

The children had been at the Olympic Rebyachka camp in the Tyumen region in western Siberia. 

Doctors are also checking children currently in the camp.

Water and food samples were being taken from the train and the camp. 

Russia has been strongly criticised for moving Ukrainian children to Russia. 

Luhansk was occupied by Vladimir Putin in 2014, and is now part of the war zone in the current conflict. 

A criminal case has been opened into the outbreak of inflection and the death of the girl.

The head of the Russian Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin – a former Putin university classmate –  demanded an urgent report on the incident, said reports.  

“The doctors who accompanied the [children] and the ambulance team that arrived took all the necessary measures on site.

“Rospotrebnadzor promptly deployed a mobile laboratory on site. All children were examined by doctors,” said Roman Busargin, governor of the Saratov region. 

“The children were placed into the children’s infectious diseases hospital, it is new, with large, good wards,” said Tatyana Zagorodnaya, Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the Saratov Region.

“Everything is under the strict control of the Ministry of Health and Rospotrebnadzor of the Saratov region.”

Some reports said that medics had diagnosed an outbreak of Influenza A, but checks are continuing. 

4