Attempt underway to get Carlow student out of Ukraine

Carlow student Rachael Diyaolu is in a car that is apparently on the way to the city of Lviv and then to Poland, in an attempt to leave the Ukrainian city of Sumy.

Speaking to RTÉ this morning, the 19 year old medical student, said the trip could take around 17 hours but she does not know if they are travelling along humanitarian corridors.

Rachael has said the situation in Sumy had worsened over the past few days and she had to leave behind many friends who were also trying to escape.

Sumy was one of the first cities to be attacked following Putin's invasion and Racheal had been staying their with other international students.

The Irish medical student Racheal Diyaolu has described an unsuccessful attempt to rescue her from the Ukrainian city of Sumy as "heartbreaking". Racheal, 19, is among a large group of international students who remain stranded in Sumy as shelling from the Russian army continues. pic.twitter.com/URgnCGG726

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 7, 2022

An attempt to get her out yesterday failed after the car that was collecting her and others never showed up after it was shot at by Russian soldiers who punctured their tyres and seized their phones.

Racheal has said that she is doing fine and trying to stay in good spirits.

The two men who are trying to help her escape are Joseph McCarthy and Gary Taylor from Scotland who saw the crises develop in Ukraine and travelled there to help people in need.

Since getting to Ukraine, they have transported several stranded civilians to Poland and Romania.

A video published on TikTok this morning saw the two men collecting their mini van that was attacked by Russian soldiers yesterday from the side of the road.

The men said they are intending to "collect all the packages" today.

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