Strike on Komyshuvakha claims at least 26 lives — The Guardian

In the village of Komyshuvakha in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, the Russian Federation — an aggressor state — struck a humanitarian aid distribution center and a nearby shelter. At least 26 people were killed, The Guardian reports, citing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ukrainian emergency services.

Rescuers and police officers among those killed

According to emergency services, the victims included two rescuers and four police officers. Another five people were in hospital, including two emergency service workers.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Russian forces first dropped aerial bombs on a school building that was used as a shelter and a humanitarian aid distribution point. Classes were not held at the school due to the village’s proximity to the front line.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Search under rubble complicated by repeated attacks

According to Zelenskyy, the first strike occurred as people were arriving for humanitarian packages, while the second targeted the shelter. He stressed that residents who remained in Komyshuvakha gathered at this location every week to receive aid.

In the evening, rescuers searched for people beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. Zaporizhzhia City Council Secretary Regina Kharchenko said that 27 people were considered missing after the attack. Military official Mykhailo Semykin noted that rescue operations were complicated by additional Russian drone attacks in the strike area.