Representative image (Photo: PTI)
Two Russian ballistic missiles struck a school building and a nearby hospital in a central-eastern region of Ukraine, killing at least 41 people and wounding 180 others, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday.
The strike took place in the city of Poltava, the capital of the region of the same name, officials said. Poltava is about 110 kilometers (70 miles) from the border with Russia and about 350 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Kiev.
The attack appears to be one of the deadliest carried out by Russian forces since the war began more than 900 days ago on February 24, 2022.
One of the buildings of the Institute of Communications was partially destroyed. People were trapped under the rubble. Many were rescued, Zelenskyy said in a video posted on his Telegram channel.
All necessary services are involved in the rescue operation, he added. He said he had ordered a full and prompt investigation into what happened. Zelenskyy did not provide further details.
The rockets struck shortly after air raid sirens sounded as many people were heading for bomb shelters, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said. The ministry described the attack as barbaric.
Rescue workers and doctors rescued 25 people, 11 of whom crawled out of the rubble, a Defense Ministry statement said.
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First publication: 03 Sep 2024 | 18:26 IST