Mayeni Jones, James Gregory BBC News. Keewu, London
6 hours ago
video description,
Debris of a restaurant hit by a Russian missile
A Russian missile struck central Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine, killing four people and wounding many more, Ukrainian authorities claim.
Kramatorsk, where restaurants and shops were destroyed in an airstrike on Saturday, is now under Ukrainian control, but is close to Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory.
People may still be trapped under the rubble, and rescue operations are ongoing.
One eyewitness told the BBC that there was “dead people, people screaming, people crying and great confusion”.
The attack took place around 7:30 p.m., and a 17-year-old girl was reportedly among the dead.
According to officials, an apartment building was also in the center of the blast.
Videos posted on social media and footage from the site filmed by drones show that the buildings have been severely damaged, with some remaining as rubble.
Belgian freelance journalist Arnaud Dekker told the BBC that he was at the popular Leah Lounge minutes before the explosion.
“It’s a big restaurant, so there are still people under the rubble,” he said. “I can hear screams from under the rubble as rescuers work.”
Arnaud Dekker estimated that up to 80 employees and patrons were inside the restaurant at the time of the attack, and feared the number of casualties could be “severe”.
Authorities said at least 40 people were injured, including an 8-month-old baby and three foreigners.
Rescue operations are currently underway in the city center, and security agencies are assisting emergency operations on the scene and evacuating victims.
Local authorities said that civilians were concentrated in the area when the missiles fell.
“This is the heart of the city. It was an open restaurant crowded with civilians,” Donetsk governor Pablo Kirilenko told Ukrainian television.
Decker described the restaurant as a local “gathering hub” popular with soldiers, journalists and volunteers alike.
The Kramatorsk City Council said Russian forces also targeted nearby villages.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attack proved to Ukraine and the world that “all Russian murderers and terrorists can only be defeated and deserve justice”.
The White House condemned Russia’s “brutal attack” on Ukraine.
Kramatorsk has been targeted by missile strikes several times since the invasion began in February 2022.
Kramatorsk, with a population of 150,000, is one of the largest cities still under Ukrainian control in the besieged eastern region. It is about 30 km away from the front line.
In April last year, more than 60 people were killed in a missile attack on a train station in Kramatorsk.
The attack also came on exactly one year after a shopping center in downtown Kremenchuk was shelled by Russian forces, killing at least 18 people.
The attack comes as President Zelensky says Ukraine is fighting back on all fronts.
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2023-06-28 03:03:12
