Rescue teams in Ukraine are continuing their search beneath the rubble of a shopping centre in the city of Kryvyi Rih following a deadly Russian drone strike that has so far left 16 people dead and 130 injured.
According to local officials, nine people remain missing, while search-and-rescue teams are working to locate any possible survivors trapped beneath the debris.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as “cynical and disgusting,” saying it was carried out in two waves. According to Zelenskyy, the second wave specifically targeted emergency workers who had arrived at the scene.
Another victim was pulled from the rubble overnight, bringing the death toll to 16. Oleksandr Hanzha, the head of the military administration of the Dnipropetrovsk region, said that 23 children were among those injured.
Hanzha had earlier reported that 29 people were in critical condition, raising concerns that the death toll could increase.
To support the rescue operation, emergency response teams from four other regions of Ukraine have been urgently deployed to the affected area.
Meanwhile, local officials reported that at least two more people were killed in subsequent Russian attacks during the early hours of Saturday.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said the targets of the strikes were transport infrastructure and storage facilities.
Kryvyi Rih Mayor Oleksandr Vilkul said Russian drones were flying at “extremely low altitudes” and described the attackers as “animals.”
