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France 24
France 24
Politics

Ukraine’s Mykolaiv morgue struggles with rising number of corpses as shelling intensifies

The morgue in Mykolaiv has been struggling to handle an increasing number of corpses. © AFP

The southern city of Mykolaiv has been under Russian fire for days as Russian President Vladimir Putin's forces try to gain control of cities on the border of the Black Sea, including the port of Odesa. But Ukrainian resistance has been fierce, with the death toll rising among soldiers and civilians. FRANCE 24's Gwendoline Debono is in Mykolaiv, where the morgue has been struggling to handle the increasing number of corpses.

This report contains images that some viewers may find disturbing.

Suffering under freezing temperatures, the southern city of Mykolaiv has faced fierce shelling by Russian forces as they try to gain control of the areas around Odesa.

In the courtyard of the forensic institute where the morgue is located, snow is constantly falling on corpses wrapped in grey plastic body bags, waiting to be evacuated. Bodies are placed on the floor for lack of space.

"I've worked here for six years, but I’ve never seen anything like this in my life," a morgue employee said, showing the mounting remains of both civilian and enemy fighters.

Click on the video player above to watch the full report.

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