KYIV, Ukraine — The bodies of 42 people have now been recovered from a school in Komyshuvakha destroyed by a Russian strike, Ukraine’s National Police reported Thursday.
Another 33 people could still be under the rubble. Thursday was the fourth day of the operation. Specialists were working to put names to the dead.
Wednesday’s police update listed 40 bodies and 38 people possibly trapped. The latest figures add two deaths and reduce the estimate still under the rubble by five.
The attack struck Nov. 2 as local residents came to the school for humanitarian aid. Police said officers directed people into the shelter after the first bomb, only for another strike to hit it.
Search and identification continue
The dead include four police officers, the National Police said. Two rescuers died as well, Ukraine’s emergency service reported, and two others were hospitalized.
The emergency service’s account says the first strike hit an educational facility. A second round destroyed a gym and an outbuilding, damaged the school and ruined a fire-rescue vehicle.
Reuters said it verified body-camera footage from one of the officers killed. The video captured the moments before a second strike destroyed the shelter, where residents had taken cover after a radio warning.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes targeted Ukrainian military units in the area of Komyshuvakha and two other settlements. It put the number of Ukrainian servicemen killed at up to 25, Reuters reported. Virginia Times could not read the original ministry statement or independently verify the claim.
Rescue work had not stopped Thursday morning, police said. The final toll and the number of people still missing remained unresolved.
Also Read: Russian Bombs Kill 24 at Ukraine Aid Center, Kyiv Says
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