Children from poor families in Moscow was sent by the Russian government in summer camp. It ended unimaginable tragedy. Julia (12 years old) has now become the new heroine of Russia.
“Row! Row, if you want to live!” — shouted the instructor, Julia, and another 46 children when they fought for life with two-metre waves and storm wind gusts. A day later, 14 children were dead. They froze on the Islands, where he managed to get out, to escape, or drowned because the life jackets were too big.
The story of what happened at summer camp this summer in Russia, revealed the unimaginable cynicism, cowardice, the moral decline of society and the ruthless use of those who are the weakest in Russian society.
Now President Vladimir Putin made a 12-year-old Julia, the main hero of Russia.
Julia was fatally vacation as a gift from the state
Twelve-year-old Julia and other children in Moscow in June, at state expense, sent to summer camp “Open Karelia” in dozens of kilometers from Finland. It was children from families with serious social problems. Some of them had no parents. Julia herself lived with my grandmother. Health service of Moscow chose the children, organized the trip and paid holidays.
Declared disaster
On Saturday, June 18, Julia and 46 children had to go on a boat trip with four instructors. The instructors were young men aged 17 to 20 years. They were given four hours of training, which consisted to teach kids to pitch a tent and light a fire. And the camp Director went to Moscow to a great vacation.
The weather forecast warned about the appearance of large waves and wind speed of 17 meters per second. When local authorities sent an SMS with a warning not to go walking around the lake, the instructors thought about to cancel the trip on the lake.
But.
“We got the message that we will not pay if the trip by boat is cancelled,” said the young instructors a local television station.
The struggle for life with waves
At 13.00 on Saturday the children went to ten-a trip for two kayaks and one rubber boat. Soon a strong wind picked up, and at about 16.00 kayaks overturned. The rest of the day and the evening Julia and the children fought for life in cold water, whose temperature was 8-10 degrees. Those who managed to escape, went ashore several Islands on the lake.
The guys called to get help
One of the instructors called the camp Director to ask for assistance. They were told to stay until the weather improves. One boy, an orphan has managed to keep cell phone dry. He called to the station of salvation. The boy did not believe. Duty station rescue decided that cries of desperation came from pampered guys. The night the boy died from the cold.
Only at 8 o’clock on Sunday morning the Director called a neighbor who had a boat and asked if he could help find “the group that tried to find shelter”. Rescue service has not yet received a request. While on the island, Julia helped to get ashore at least five children.
“Everything shouted and howled. Yula floated, dragging children to the shore and saved them,” said surviving brother and sister. “Without Julia would have been killed many children”, — said the head of service of rescue Vladimir Golub on TV channel Russia 1.
Twelve-year-old girl tried to make a hut where they could hold out. Then Julia went for help.
The rescue operation began a day later
How she managed to swim a mile to shore in high waves and the water whose temperature was 8-10 degrees, one can not understand. On the shore she lost consciousness and woke up several hours later. Next to him she found wounded and dying boy. Frozen and exhausted, she walked a few miles to find people. At 11.15 she got to the nearest village.
Only after that the operation began on several boats and helicopters. “The children held each other’s hands, the living and the dead,” according to the Russian media, said one of the first responders that arrived on the island.
Meeting with Julia was worth the post Putin person
After the disaster of the television channels controlled by the state, made Julia a hero of the country. Stories about “courageous Julia” filled the transmission.
Ombudsman for children under President Putin, Pavel Astakhov came to the hospital to congratulate her and the other survivors:”Well, how was your swim?” asked the Ombudsman and smiled after taking a picture for your site on Twitter.
Two days later, 150 thousand citizens of Russia signed Internet call for fire Commissioner. New appeared in Russia a week later.
Russia needs heroes
Then Julia invited the head of the Ministry of emergency situations for the presentation of medals. The Minister took the opportunity to show off the new operating centre.
Last week ended with the awarding of medals for her “determination and courage” of President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian Orthodox Church stated that the feat is due to the fact that Julia and her grandmother was a kind, deeply religious Christians and prayed to God.
Now Julia just wants to be left alone
Grandma told Aftenposten that is now doing everything possible to protect Julia. All TV channels want to interview the heroine to show it in their programs.
“We, of course, very tired. Very. Most importantly, now that Julia goes to school and is doing,” he told grandma on the phone.
The escaped children were sent to the hospital, many of them now after all that experience mental stress and injuries.
Grandma Julia: All she need is rest.
Aftenposten: You get the help you need?
All is well. All right. We only want peace.
Presented as a tragic misfortune
The story of the disaster in Russia was first presented as a tragic mishap on the water. “Was swiftly launched a large rescue operation, but to save all failed”, wrote the Norwegian and Russian media.
But in fact the children were left to themselves. The investigative Committee of Russia made a conclusion that children have been the victim of unscrupulous managers and corrupt camp officials: “If they have called in rescue service, it would be possible to save many children, — said the head of the investigation, “Komsomolskaya Pravda”. — Greed, cowardice and fear of punishment led to the fact that the accident had such effect”.
The elimination of the catastrophe in Russian
A storm of scandal in Russia after the crash in Karelia made the Norwegian 22 July Commission (the Commission established in Norway after the terrorist attack of Anders Breivik, approx. interpreter) to proceed very cautiously. The massacre of Russian journalists in charge were ruthless.
“Aren’t you ashamed? You can sleep peacefully at night?” — asked the Russian journalist, when the head of the summer camp were taken to the cell the next day.
Scandal after scandal after disaster
In recent months, the disaster revealed shocking circumstances.
The investigation revealed that five children lost their lives as a result deserving of harsh criticism of the circumstances of the other summer camps in Russia this summer.
Sunday after the disaster, the police found, to his great surprise, that the summer camp was 270 children, 70 children more than.
To earn more money, summer camp has filled to capacity. So the children were sent to overnight camping, regardless of bad weather. There was not enough beds.
Just a couple of years ago the former head of camp with a knife stabbed one of his instructors after a night out drinking.
Drunkenness was quite common in the camp.
Before disaster struck, neighbors, parents and inspectors tried to close the camp due to the dangerous conditions, poor staff untrained instructors, poor hygienic conditions and high fire danger.
Children were not given enough food, they were often forced to cook your own food.
For each child, the camp has received from the government of Moscow additionally, for 37 thousand rubles.
Moscow continues investigation of how the Moscow authorities could send their children to such a camp.
Scapegoats are arrested, they face 10 years in prison
This week the Russian Parliament passed a new law that should prevent the existence of such camps, like this one in Karelia.
The head of Moscow’s healthcare system came from the policy. The elections to the Duma he occupied one of leading places in Putin’s party “United Russia”.
The head of the Russian authority in Karelia, spent three months under house arrest and could receive three years in prison.
The head of the camp and his Deputy in June are in custody, they face ten years in prison.
“I’ll never forgive myself for this, — said the Deputy Director in his brief speech.— I am condemned forever.”
