Two young sisters in the Ukraine have been rushed to hospital in a critical condition after their own father gave them alcohol.
Maryna, 4, and Luda, 2, reportedly asked their father, Mykola, for food at lunchtime. Mykola, who had been under the influence of alcohol at the time, filled their drink bottles with wine after he couldn’t find milk in the fridge.
The little girls suffered from severe alcohol poisoning as a result of having drunk the wine, and were later discovered unconscious and filthy on a street near their home in Chaplynka, Kherson.
As reported by the MailOnline, the sisters are now in a stable condition after being treated with medication and fluids.
However, they had been in a dangerous and potentially life-threatening state after they were initially discovered by neighbours.
The sisters’ next door neighbour, Tetiana Shotik, made the following comments to local media:
The girls were lying motionless on the ground. We tried to wake them up but failed. There was a strong smell of alcohol and we called an ambulance.
Before that I saw them in the street near their house. They were singing something unintelligible and were unsteady on their feet.
It looked strange but I thought they were playing some kind of a game. They had baby bottles with a pink liquid in their hands.
After being rushed to intensive care, both girls were found to be in a life-threatening condition; suffering from acute alcohol poisoning. They also showed signs of serious neglect; covered in lice and dirt.
Head of Chaplyn Regional Hospital’s intensive care unit told local media the girls are now thankfully out of danger:
The girls were hospitalised in a state of alcoholic coma and were on the verge of death. We performed a series of necessary procedures and, fortunately, managed to save them. The children are being given medications and feel better. Their lives are not in danger now.
An orderly has also spoken to the media about the neglectful condition the girls were found in:
The girls were black from dirt. We spent two hours trying to wash it off. Their clothes were so filthy that we just threw them away. The younger girl’s hair was a huge knot and it took a lot of time to untangle it.
The negligent father Mykola have since been arrested, and could face up to five years in prison for the treatment of his daughters. The girls have been placed in a recovery centre, awaiting the court’s decision.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.