'Like a hell': Ethiopia airstrike survivors recall massacre

Maerg was serving customers at his cafe in Ethiopia’s Tigray village of Togoga when the military airstrike occurred

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Maerg was serving customers at his cafe in Ethiopia’s Tigray village of Togoga when the military airstrike occurred, filling the room with dust and bringing down debris that struck him on the head. “Everything was covered in black smoke, it was like a hell,” he told The Associated Press by phone, recounting one of the deadliest attacks in the Tigray conflict. “There was so much blood.” Seven people were killed in his cafe alone, and some 30 were wounded, including his sister-in-law, who suffered burns on her face, hands and legs. Outside, he said, he saw dozens more bodies. As time passed, he watched in horror as survivors realized that Ethiopian soldiers were blocking medical aid from arriving. “We feel very angry because a lot of lives could have been saved,” he said.