A humanitarian aid distribution center in the village of Komyshuvakha in the Zaporizhzhia region of southern Ukraine has been hit by a Russian airstrike. At least 24 people were killed and five injured.
Regional head Mykhailo Semikin said nine aerial bombs struck the area, causing extensive destruction. Two rescue workers and four police officers were among those killed.
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The search for survivors beneath the rubble is continuing, but Russian drone attacks in the area have forced the operation to be suspended several times, hampering the authorities’ work. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) relayed a warning from the authorities that the death toll could rise, as several people are believed to remain under the rubble.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the building that was bombed was a local school that had been repurposed for humanitarian use. He condemned the strike, describing it as an utterly horrific act.
In his account of the incident, Zelensky said the same site was struck again after the initial bombardment, while people were seeking shelter in the area.
In a social media statement, the Ukrainian president said the Russians must have known that the residents who remained in Komyshuvakha went there every week to collect humanitarian aid.
According to Zelensky, the incident provides further evidence of Moscow’s lack of interest in easing tensions and pursuing peace efforts. He added that, through killings like these, Russia was sending the opposite message and showing that it was counting on further killings.
