Russian strike on Ukrainian aid centre kills 40
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on TimesLIVE and Africanews
The death toll from a Russian strike on an aid distribution centre in Komyshuvakha, Ukraine, has reached 40, while 59 people are missing, according to TimesLIVE. Africanews reported 33 deaths and more than 50 missing on 2 November; the outlet said survivors and rescue workers had been treated for serious injuries. The bombing hit a former school used as a shelter and humanitarian aid distribution point.
Ukraine’s emergency services said that rescue workers and four police officers were among those killed in the strike on the aid distribution point in Komyshuvakha, in Zaporizhzhia region, according to TimesLIVE. Africanews reports that survivors and rescue workers were treated for serious injuries after the strikes on 2 November.
Rescue teams are searching the rubble of an underground school used as a shelter and to distribute aid every Monday. The site is about 17 kilometres from the nearest Russian positions, according to TimesLIVE. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says several aerial bombs first hit the building, after which the shelter was bombed again as residents arrived to receive aid.
Russia’s Defence Ministry says the strike targeted Ukrainian military units in Komyshuvakha and two nearby localities, and reports that up to 25 Ukrainian service members were killed. Moscow and Kyiv both deny deliberately targeting civilians. The attack came the day after the expiry of a brief local ceasefire negotiated by the United States, less than a week before talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegations scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi, according to TimesLIVE.
The death toll stood at 26 on 2 November, then rose to 31 and 33 on 3 and 4 November, before reaching 37 and then 40, according to TimesLIVE. Africanews reported 33 deaths and more than 50 missing in its 2 November report.
