Mother of Russian lab worker disputes official account of daughter's plague death

The mother of Russian lab worker Darya Shipilova, who died on October 2 after suspected pneumonic plague, has publicly disputed official claims about her daughter's death, saying she knows the truth and that authorities "simply let my daughter die." Shipilova, a 28-year-old scientist at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute in Siberia, was hospitalized in Shelekhov before her death. Her mother, Svetlana Shipilova, also a scientist, rejected rumors that a broken test tube caused exposure, stating such tubes are "that well protected" and impossible to break even if flung at a wall. Russia's health watchdog said no work-related micro-organisms were found in her body, and the Kremlin dismissed plague reports as "false information." US President Donald Trump, who spoke with Vladimir Putin, said Russia claims the situation is "very much under control" and denied biological weapon involvement.