At least four people have died after a missile “almost completely destroyed” a school in Ukraine that had reportedly become a humanitarian aid hub for those living under Russian fire near the front line.
The residential quarter of the city of Orikhiv, located roughly seven miles from the nearest occupying soldiers in the Zaporizhzia region, was struck by a “guided aerial bomb” on Sunday (July 9), allegedly by Russian forces targeting the delivery of humanitarian aid, a local official claimed.
Three women and one man, all in their forties, were killed in the strike, while a further 11 were hospitalised, the local official added.
Footage of the aftermath of the incident purported to show the caved-in confines of the school building.
Subsequent footage from the school’s courtyard showed swathes of the building had collapsed as a result of the alleged strike.
Local police could be seen transporting open body bags carrying injured or fatally wounded women away from the scene.
Yuriy Malashko, head of the Zaporizhzhia regional military administration, wrote on Telegram on Monday morning (July 10) that four people had “died on the spot” as a result of the attack.
Mr Malashko wrote: “Racists committed a war crime in the front-line Orikhiv – they hit a guided aerial bomb during the distribution of humanitarian aid in a residential area
“Four people died on the spot: women aged 43, 45, 47 and a 47-year-old man. Eleven residents of Orihiv were hospitalized with injuries of varying severity.”
He added that 36 targeted strikes took place across the region on Sunday, disrupting 10 “peaceful settlements”.
A 65-year-old man in Novodanilivka, just south of Orikhiv, was the only other known casualty, according to Mr Malashko.
Orikhiv’s population has plummeted since the full-scale invasion of Russia 16 months ago, from roughly 13,600 to just 6,000.
While it has never been under Russian occupation, it has been near the front line for a considerable duration of Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation”, leaving it particularly susceptible to attack.
The Zaporizhzhia region as a whole, one of four illegally annexed by Putin last September, has been partially occupied since last February.
Express.co.uk was not able to verify Mr Malashko’s report.
