In Ukraine, 24 people were killed as a result of a strike on a school where aid was being distributed
According to Ukrainian authorities, 24 people were killed as a result of Russian strikes on a school where humanitarian aid was being distributed in the town of Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region. More than 20 people are still considered missing. The victims include two rescuers and four police officers.
24 killed in strike on school distributing aid in Ukraine
According to DW, Mikhail Semikin, head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, reported on the aftermath of the attack on November 2.
According to him, the Russian military struck the center of Komyshuvakha, located southeast of the city of Zaporizhzhia, with at least nine FAB-3000 guided aerial bombs.
Semikin declared November 3 a day of mourning in memory of the victims.
Rescuers and police officers also among the dead
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine stated that two rescuers and four police officers were among the victims. Five more people were injured, two of whom are also rescuers.
The head of the agency, Andriy Danyk, informed that a gymnasium and an outbuilding were destroyed as a result of the strikes. The educational institution's building was damaged, and a fire-and-rescue vehicle was destroyed.
Search and rescue operations are ongoing at the scene.
Kyiv says shelter where people hid was also struck
Prime Minister of Ukraine Serhiy Koretskyi informed that the Russian military dropped aerial bombs in the morning on a school where humanitarian aid was being distributed.
According to his Telegram post, after people hid in a shelter, another strike was launched — this time nine more aerial bombs were dropped on the shelter.
Koretskyi noted that the threat of repeated attacks is complicating search and rescue efforts for people at the site.
Zelenskyy urges the world to respond firmly
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strikes on Komyshuvakha "another proof that Russia wants neither de-escalation nor true justice."
He stressed that the strike hit a school being used for humanitarian purposes. Aid was distributed to the population in the building, and the Russian military "could not fail to know this," Zelenskyy said.
The President of Ukraine stated that after the humanitarian operation in Oleshky, an opportunity arose for further steps that could show proximity to peace. In his view, the attack on Komyshuvakha indicates the opposite.