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SINGAPORE — A 23-year-old Indian woman who was gang-raped and severely beaten on a bus in New Delhi died Saturday at a Singapore hospital.
The woman's horrific ordeal galvanized Indians to demand greater protections against widespread sexual violence, and her death was expected to intensify public demands for action by the Indian government.
The victim who has not been identified, "passed away peacefully" with her family and officials of the Indian embassy by her side," said Kelvin Loh, the chief executive of Mount Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been treated since Thursday. "The Mount Elizabeth Hospital team of doctors, nurses and staff join her family in mourning her loss," he said in a statement.
The woman and a male friend were traveling in a public bus after watching a film on the evening of Dec. 16 when they were attacked by six men who took turns raping her. They also beat the couple and inserted an iron rod into her body resulting in severe organ damage. Both of them were then stripped and thrown off the bus, according to police.
The woman was airlifted to Singapore on Dec. 26 for specialist treatment, but she had remained in extremely critical condition, Loh said.
The victim had already undergone three abdominal operations before arriving in Singapore, where her condition on Thursday was described as "extremely critical."
Photos: Police try to temper outrage over gang rape
"Despite all efforts by a team of eight specialists in Mount Elizabeth Hospital to keep her stable, her condition continued to deteriorate over these two days," said Loh on Saturday. "She had suffered from severe organ failure following serious injuries to her body and brain. She was courageous in fighting for her life for so long against the odds but the trauma to her body was too severe for her to overcome."
Related video:
Rape ignites outrage
Protesters call for execution
The attack triggered nationwide protest over the lack of safety for women, culminating last weekend in pitched battles between police and protesters in the heart of the capital.
New Delhi has the highest number of sex crimes among India's major cities, with a rape reported on average every 18 hours, according to police figures. Government data show the number of reported rape cases in the country rose by nearly 17 percent between 2007 and 2011.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government seemed at first caught off guard by the reaction to the attack, which sparked a blame game between politicians and the police.
On Saturday he said that he was aware of the emotions the attack has stirred and that it was up to all Indians to ensure that the young woman's death will not have been in vain.
"These are perfectly understandable reactions from a young India and an India that genuinely desires change," Singh said in a statement. "It would be a true homage to her memory if we are able to channel these emotions and energies into a constructive course of action."
He said the government was examining the penalties for crimes such as rape "to enhance the safety and security of women."
Indian television channels said security had been tightened in New Delhi on Saturday in anticipation of more protests following the woman's death.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Protests continued across New Delhi, India, where around 500 people marched in response to the recent gang rape of a young woman. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
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Oh, my God. Now we learn the woman died and the extent of how she was brutally attacked (why she had all the horrific internal injuries). Words cannot express my grief and shock at their brutality. They should all get the death penalty at the least. Satan has apparently taken over a lot of their country. My only hope is that the people and leaders of their country wake up and institute strong and immediate punishment and safeguards.
Castrate them? Isn't that a bit extreme? Maybe a better answer would be to put them in prison until they apologize.
That is a vert stupid statement indeed
I assume you're being sarcastic in your comment, Timothy Garrabrant.
Did it make you feel like REAL MEN? Did it?
Castrate the sumbitches...simple as that..
I have a suggestion and it doesn't exactly involved execution. Catch the animals who did this. Cut of their hands (both) and cauterize the stumps. Then, forgive me, cut of their male organs and stuff them down their throats. So that they can slowly suffocate to death without being able to do a thing about it. And if such a place exists in India, drop them off in a predominantly homosexual red light area to be molested at anybody's will until they die.
Bloody, cruel and unChristian? You bet! But it doesn't even BEGIN to compare to what they did to her.
She should have had a gun. The f-ing so-called liberals in this country want to take ours away.
No they don't, you retard. Who told you that?
I say that, if possible, find the men responsible and execute them. If this same response occurs for each incident, the incidences will decrease. Forget about fair trial. Send this meassage instead. Why should the world waste time with discussions of fault, degree of fault, etc. Rape is the decision to use power. Extinguish this power. I am a male and I support one response - execution.
YOU NEED KINDNESS..
To raise Healthy..Respectful ....SONS.
You Need EXAMPLES in Their Lives ..to Teach them ...The Gratitude.....For The basis ..of Their Lives..
America speak up, refuse to buy any and all products from their country, and please please never go to their disgusting country, ban them, ban their products, I say discriminate against them in every way you can if possible!!!!!!
Why female have to go Thur this.. Why her ...This has to STOP..... Plus she die.....god surround all the women in this world with the white light,gold light and purple light of the holy spirit....who are being rape right now ....give them strength
THE PUNISHMENT MUST BE EQUAL OR EXCEED THE CRIME TO STOP CRIME.
The Indian government should use the same iron rod that was used on the victim (probably a wheel nut wrench). The rod will be forced through the animal's ass until it punch several holes in their organs then they will be kick off a moving bus and let them bleed to death or the protesters can beat them to death free of charge!!!
Many people will say this is AN-EYE-FOR-AN-EYE justice, but these animals should feel the same pain and suffering that their victim did.
Castration ring a bell?....hmmmm...
It happens often in cultures that feel the female is not a very beneficial creature. And talking to many who have been part of the culture, there is very little responsibility and or correction for the men who do it. To be used and abused is thefemale value. And we see it here in America as well. I had an experience this summer where I had filled up the gas tank and was in line to pay. Two rag heads came in who had filled up after me. The one big one pushed me aside and was stepping up to the register to pay. I simply said "hey butt head, that may be acceptable in your country but it is not going to happen here" and I stepped right in front of him to my original place. I realized after it was over, and I gained a brain instead of simple anger, that had I been in his country, my actions would have likely gotten me badly beaten or worse. So unless the culture changes, these horrors will contninue.. It is a sick society of horrors to women.
Looks like the politicians tried to wash their hands of this by unnecessarily transporting a critically injured woman out of the country and 2500 miles away. Fail.
Death to the rapists. Slow, shameful, agonizing death.
Pass the scotch.
My first reaction was heartbreak, but then it just angered me beyond measure. This is not an isolated incident, the incidence of rape in that area is high beyond measure. This is a cultural problem. Women throughout the world are being brutally raped, maimed through Acid attacks, or simply killed, just because. It sickens me! To those saying she may have deserved it..Assuming you are correct, and she "deserved" it, please tell me what do you think her scumbag, lowlife, cowardly, evil rapist deserve? What saddens me more is that you through a "friends" experience assume that all women are money hungry she devils. What an archaic way of thinking? Of course their are devious women out there, just as there are men of the same elk. How can you base that thought of she "may have deserved it" on a friends life anyway. What of your own experiences with women? I don't really care to know because apparently it is negative or you would not have made that kind of remark. In addition, I am so glad to hear your mother was a women...As opposed to what else could she have been. Thank you to the gentlemen on here who know how to treat women and find this act just as appalling as the women.
Right on SandraK....i agree 100%...then some.
India and all countries overseas need to have special train sex victims units and get those responsible for doing this and put them in prison or if person dies give the electric chair. How long will this go on for the women of India and the other countries.
PEPPER SRAY..
MADE AVAILABLE...
To All Women..Everywhere...
EVIL, EVIL, EVIL human beings. My condolences to the family and friends of the victim.
I hate the human race.
I think we should castrate the animals that did this..
"Evil wins when good people do nothing."
WHEN ALL of You..MOST ...of You ...do not CONDONE..Something......It Ceases...to Exist..
If she only had a gun.........
If wishes were horses even beggars would ride ....
"Passed away peacefully"...... how could that be even remotely possible after such a horrific act. I hope the animals that did this suffer the most painful and humiliating death possible. And soon.