Mum of lab worker ‘killed by Russian plague’ claims she knows what really happened

The mum of a lab worker who died in Siberia has spoken out (Picture: Daria Shipilova/e2w) The mother of a scientist who died after contracting a suspected case of pneumonic plague in Russia has spoken out after her daughter’s death.

The Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Siberia made headlines after one of its workers, Darya Shipilova, died on October 2.

The 28-year-old scientist was taken to the hospital in Shelekhov, where she passed away.

Russia’s health watchdog has insisted that her body was tested for ‘micro-organisms’ linked to her work, but that none were found, while the Kremlin dismissed allegations about its anti-plague measures.

Now the lab worker’s mum, Svetlana Shipilova, has refuted claims that her daughter came into contact with the disease from a broken test tube.

Svetlana, who is also a scientist, told the Russian outlet Glubina: ‘I know the truth.

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‘I’m having to fend off stupid acquaintances who believed all this; the clever ones didn’t believe it, of course.

‘Not even all medical professionals understand it’s impossible to break a test tube like that.

‘Even if you fling it at the wall. Only an amateur could say something like that.

‘Even hypothetically, you simply can’t spill what’s inside or break the tube – they’re that well protected.’

In since-deleted posts, officials claimed the scientist died of a plague infection.

Svetlana claimed that the authorities ‘simply let my daughter die.’

Rumours have swirled about a possible second case of suspected plague.

But Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov labelled the reports as ‘false information.’

Donald Trump confirmed yesterday that he has spoken with Vladimir Putin.

When the US president was asked whether the infection could be from a biological weapon, he replied: ‘We do not think so.

‘They are saying it is very much under control.

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