- Residential building hit in Chernihiv region as rescue teams continue search through the rubble; 55 people injured in devastating attack
ISLAMABAD/MARRAKECH: The death toll from a Russian missile strike on a residential building in the Ukrainian city of Pryluky has risen to 20, including five children, in one of the latest tragedies to strike civilians amid the continuing war in Ukraine.
The attack, carried out on the morning of 7 October in Pryluky, Chernihiv Oblast, also left 55 people injured, according to Ukrainian authorities. Emergency and rescue teams continued working through the rubble as efforts remained underway to locate those who may still be missing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed profound sorrow over the loss of innocent lives, particularly the children killed in the strike.
“Work to clear the rubble is ongoing at the site of a Russian missile strike on a residential building in Pryluky,” Zelenskyy said, as the initial death toll stood at 18.
He said four of the victims were children — Oleksandr, Kyrylo and Serhii, all just one year old, and eight-year-old Maksym.
“My condolences to all their families and loved ones,” Zelenskyy said, adding that dozens of people had been injured, including children.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, 15 people were rescued from the damaged building, including one child, while emergency services continued searching for people who remained unaccounted for.
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine later confirmed that rescuers had recovered the body of another child from the site, raising the death toll to 19.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ivan Vyhivskyi subsequently confirmed that the number of fatalities had climbed to 20.
The devastating strike has once again highlighted the heavy toll of the war on civilian communities, with families, including young children, among those bearing the consequences of continued missile attacks.
Rescue operations and debris-clearing efforts remained ongoing as authorities worked to establish the full extent of the destruction and account for everyone affected.
The attack came after Russian forces launched missiles against Pryluky in Chernihiv Oblast on the morning of 7 October, striking a high-rise residential building and causing extensive damage.
BY: The Times Union – Tetyana Oliynyk
