Death toll from strike on humanitarian aid point in Zaporizhzhia region rises to 42

Death toll rises to 42

The number of people killed in a Russian strike on a humanitarian aid distribution point in Komyshuvakha, Zaporizhzhia region, has risen to 42, local authorities said on Thursday. The Anadolu agency reports this, citing acting head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration Mykhailo Semikin, who confirmed the figure and said the operation is continuing 'under extremely difficult conditions'.

Searches on the fourth day

The State Emergency Service of Ukraine reported that rescuers have been clearing the rubble in Komyshuvakha for the fourth day in a row. 'Every step requires extreme caution and well-coordinated actions,' the service said in a Telegram post. According to regional police figures announced on Wednesday, 59 people remained on the missing persons list, although some of them have probably already been found among the dead; police also suggested that up to 38 people may still be under the debris. Some bodies cannot be visually identified, so specialists are collecting biological samples for DNA identification.

Statements from the parties

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that a Russian strike with aerial bombs hit a school in Komyshuvakha where humanitarian aid was being distributed. 'After the first aerial bomb strike came a double strike with nine more bombs — deliberately targeting the shelter where people were hiding,' he wrote on the X platform, accusing Moscow of having no desire for de-escalation in the fourth year of the war. Russian authorities do not comment on the attack.