A BRIDE is in hospital and her brother is dead after a World War 1 bomb destroyed her post-wedding celebration.
Lidiia Makarchuk, 31, was blasted with shrapnel while she enjoyed a campfire in a Ukrainian forest with her new husband Norbert along with close friends and family.
It is believed the bomb was triggered by the fire the party of 12 had lit last month after they enjoyed a walk in the Carpathian Mountains near Hungary.
Lidiia had travelled to the beauty spot for a honeymoon after marrying Norbert Varga, 43, near their home in Bracknell, Berkshire.
The Ukrainian-born accountant spoke of the moment the explosion ripped through their camp.
She said: "In one second I felt like someone had taken a rock and thrown it in my face, in my nose especially.
"Then I had a whistling in my ears followed by a silence where I could hear only myself.
"I turned away and covered my face with my hands and started praying for myself. Then I realised it wasn't just me. Everyone was moaning, everyone was in pain."
Her husband, who works as a radio operator, was in his tent when the bomb went off.
He said: "While I was packing my equipment the sound of an explosion and screams broke the silence. I ran to the bonfire as fast as I could, screaming Lidiia's name."
Lidiia suffered shrapnel injuries to her left eye and across her face.
She also sustained wounds to her legs and to her hands where some bone was left exposed after her skin and muscle was shredded.
The accountant, who moved to the UK in 2017, said she could hear the dying gasps of her brother Myroslav, 29, as she lay injured waiting for an ambulance.
She said: "My one regret is not calling out to him to tell him I loved him."
Myroslav and one other member of the party died in the 90 minutes it took the paramedics to arrive.
The forest was used as a battlefield in both world wars near Mount Hoverla, the tallest mountain in the country.
It is believed the bomb came from the Brusilov Offensive, a campaign waged by the Russians against Austria-Hungary in 1916.
Speaking of his brother-in-law, Norbert said: "I will never forget the sound of Myroslav's mortal agony.
"I tried to bandage his head and place him in the recovery position, but it was too late. He was fighting for his life for two hours.
"I am still thinking, what could I have done more? Why not me? Why them? War movies are the closest thing to what I experienced that night, I will never forget it.'
Lidiia and the others who were seriously injured arrived at hospital seven hours after the explosion.
She is now able to walk although is still being treated in hospital. She will travel to Hungary for eye treatment later this month before returning to the UK.
Lidiia did not have travel insurance and now faces a huge medical bill. Her family has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for her.
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