How unlucky was this girl?
Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 3:04 pm
on a scale of 1-10
http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/article.aspx? ... ocid=today
A young Afghan girl has been killed after a box of public information leaflets dropped by an RAF aircraft landed on top of her, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The box failed to break apart in mid-air and hit the young girl, who was taken to a hospital in Kandahar where she later died.
The leaflets were dropped over a rural area of Helmand province by an RAF C130 Hercules on June 23.
The RAF said it deeply regretted the incident and has launched an investigation into what happened.
A spokesman said: "In a tragic incident on 23 June, an air-drop of public information leaflets took place in a rural area in Helmand Province.
"It is a matter of deep regret that one of the boxes failed to fully open and on landing caused serious injuries to an Afghan child.
"The child was treated at a local medical facility in Kandahar where, despite the best efforts of staff, she died as a result of her injuries. An investigation into the incident is under way."
Defence sources said it was unfortunate that the young girl was taken to a local hospital in Kandahar, instead of to an International Security Assistance Force hospital, which may have been better equipped.
The MoD would not comment on what type of leaflet was involved, but said air drops - which include leaflets giving public information on the presidential elections and basic warnings about explosives - were common.
Last week, a UN report said about 1,500 civilians were killed in Afghanistan between January and August.
http://news.uk.msn.com/uk/article.aspx? ... ocid=today
A young Afghan girl has been killed after a box of public information leaflets dropped by an RAF aircraft landed on top of her, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
The box failed to break apart in mid-air and hit the young girl, who was taken to a hospital in Kandahar where she later died.
The leaflets were dropped over a rural area of Helmand province by an RAF C130 Hercules on June 23.
The RAF said it deeply regretted the incident and has launched an investigation into what happened.
A spokesman said: "In a tragic incident on 23 June, an air-drop of public information leaflets took place in a rural area in Helmand Province.
"It is a matter of deep regret that one of the boxes failed to fully open and on landing caused serious injuries to an Afghan child.
"The child was treated at a local medical facility in Kandahar where, despite the best efforts of staff, she died as a result of her injuries. An investigation into the incident is under way."
Defence sources said it was unfortunate that the young girl was taken to a local hospital in Kandahar, instead of to an International Security Assistance Force hospital, which may have been better equipped.
The MoD would not comment on what type of leaflet was involved, but said air drops - which include leaflets giving public information on the presidential elections and basic warnings about explosives - were common.
Last week, a UN report said about 1,500 civilians were killed in Afghanistan between January and August.
