Ukraine evacuation lorry from Gloucester attacked

The 11-year-old Mercedes lorry was used to transport humanitarian aid to Ukraine

A lorry used to help evacuate civilians and deliver aid from Gloucester to Ukraine has been hit in an attack that killed a French journalist.

The 11-year-old silver Mercedes truck was attacked by Russian forces while evacuating civilians; despite being labelled a humanitarian aid vehicle.

A Ukrainian foreign ministry official said it was hit on Monday near the city of Severodonetsk in eastern Ukraine.

The truck had also been delivering baby food and medical equipment out there.

Gloucester City Councillor Alastair Chambers, one of the volunteers who helped organise the relief effort, told the Local Democracy Reporting service (LDRS) he was shocked to see pictures of the attack.

'Really devastating'

He said: "The lorry was picked up from Preston Fleet Services and then we drove it to Gloucester to fill it up with humanitarian aid.

"Baby stuff, things for elderly people, food and equipment.

"We drove it into the Ukraine.

"I handed the keys over to Ukrainians there who told me the lorry was going to be used for evacuations.

Journalist Frédéric Leclerc-Imhoff was reporting on the evacuations when the lorry was hit

"It's been evacuating people for the last three weeks from when we dropped it off.

"At the same time, we dropped off a lot of medical equipment for Mykolaiv hospital which included anaesthesia machines, C-arm X-ray machines and other equipment.

"It's really devastating.

"We've dropped off six vehicles, so this is the first one we know of that has been attacked.

"Apparently, my contacts think it was hit by shrapnel from a Russian missile. But I've also heard another story from a local who said it was hit by fire from a Russian BMPT Terminator vehicle.

"The vehicle is clearly marked out as humanitarian aid.

"At the time it had 10 refugees in it which were being evacuated by a local policeman and a French journalist who was documenting the evacuation process."