How UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov’s homeland Dagestan is being ravaged by coronavirus
KHABIB Nurmagomedov's homeland Dagestan is in the midst of a coronavirus "catastrophe" with reports of hundreds dying in overwhelmed hospitals.
President Putin has been forced to pledge unprecedented emergency aid for the impoverished region of southern Russia - where more than 20 members of UFC star Khabib's family are sick.
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The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the chronic underfunding of provincial hospitals where intensive care units were overwhelmed in days.
In mountainous Dagestan - home to three million people - healthcare workers are said to be dying in droves because of a lack of personal protective equipment, .
Local health officials say nearly 700 people have died of pneumonia in recent weeks.
But only 32 of the deaths are recorded as being linked to coronavirus, fuelling claims of a cover-up.
The region's top Muslim cleric described the outbreak as a "catastrophe".
'LIKE A WAR'
Dagestan - already one of the most dangerous places in the world after decades of unrest there and in neighbouring Chechnya - has proved the perfect breeding ground for coronavirus.
Its hospitals are among Russia's worst-funded, and people typically live in large, close knit communities where social distancing is not observed.
Dr Ibragim Yevtemirov said seven medics have died at his hospital in Khasavyurt which was "overrun with patients" in a matter of days in mid-April.
He told the Telegraph: "We were losing five to six people a day.
"And every person who died triggered a new wave of patients - people would gather for the wake, infecting each other."
Hundreds have fallen ill in the town, which was sealed off by police with helicopters flying in to evacuate the worst cases daily.
Dr Yevtemirov told the Independent: "We hadn't seen helicopters since the Chechen wars... and it felt like a war, with the hospital in the middle of a protracted siege and bodies falling around us."
Putin announced the end of a nationwide lockdown last week, but yesterday acknowledged the situation in Dagestan is so dire it needs "an emergency response".
He pledged funds and military aid on the same day his prime minister Mikhail Mishustin was discharged from hospital in Moscow after three weeks being treated for coronavirus.
Russia now has 308,000 confirmed coronavirus cases - the second highest in the world after the US.
The official death toll is just 2,972 but scientists suspect the true figure is much larger as testing is ineffective.
Medical staff have been particularly badly affected.
Doctors estimate at least one in every 15 coronavirus deaths in Russia is a healthcare worker - which would be the worst rate in the world and four times higher than Iran.
FAMILY RAVAGED BY VIRUS
Lightweight champion Khabib, 31, has been in Dagestan for a month after returning when travel restrictions stopped his title fight against Tony Ferguson at UFC 249.
He was rocked last week when his dad and trainer Abdulmanap was rushed to a Moscow hospital after suffering heart complications as a result of the virus.
He said in an Instagram live chat overnight his dad is still “very serious condition”.
He added: “This virus has very seriously affected his heart, since he had a heart operation a year ago.
“He's had surgery again. He's in a difficult situation, very difficult.
“We ask Allah to return him to us.”
Khabib said he has seen firsthand how the virus has ravaged his homeland.
He said: “In my personal case, I’ve had more than 20 people sick from my family.
“More than 20 people were lying in the ICUs. And many of them are no longer among us.
“Many acquaintances have died, many parents of my relatives. Everybody is having a hard time dealing with it.
“This virus has affected everyone. This virus doesn’t ask what your surname or name is, this virus doesn’t ask where you work, if you are rich or poor.
“Everyone has gotten ill. We can only overcome this together.”
MOST READ IN WORLD NEWS
We told last year how the UFC star - nicknamed The Eagle - grew up in a small home with 15 cousins and brothers in the mountainous village of Sildi.
Aged nine, his an army veteran and former judo champion father put him through a tough training regime that included wrestling a wild bear.
And he has told how he learned to swim by being thrown into a dangerous river that claimed the lives of six of his friends.
Khabib was elevated to worldwide fame after beating Conor McGregor in 2017 and is said to be worth £8million.
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