At least 24 people were killed and five injured after Russian bombs hit a facility used to distribute humanitarian aid in the village of Komyshuvakha, Ukrainian officials said. Twenty-seven people were initially reported missing after at least nine 3,000kg aerial bombs struck the area.
Regional head Mykhailo Semikin said rescue teams were searching through the rubble and that people remained trapped. Operations were repeatedly interrupted by Russian drone attacks in the area, he added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the first strike hit a local school being used for humanitarian purposes, followed by a second attack on the site where people had taken shelter. He described the incident as “utterly horrific” and said the bombing showed that Russia was not seeking de-escalation.
Ukraine’s State Emergency Service later confirmed that 24 people had died, including two rescuers and four police officers. Zelensky had initially reported 18 deaths.
Semikin called the attack a “terrible tragedy” for the village. A day of mourning was declared across the Zaporizhzhia region for Tuesday.
The Russian military has not publicly commented on the reported attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Sources: BBC News World.