The death toll from a Russian attack on an aid distribution centre in Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region has risen to at least 50 people, making it one of the deadliest Russian attacks this year.
Ukraine’s emergency service announced on Friday that the toll from Monday’s strike on the village of Komyshuvakha has risen after eight more bodies were recovered from the rubble.
Acting regional governor Mykhailo Semikin later said that the death toll reached 53 people, as rescuers continued their search for missing bodies for the fifth day.
Al Jazeera was not able to independently verify that figure.
Local police on Wednesday said that 59 people were listed as missing, though some might be among the bodies already found.
“As many as 39 people may still remain trapped under the debris,” they said.
As rescuers continue to work, specialists have been taking DNA samples to identify the bodies. Continuing Russian attacks have also remained a constant threat to the rescue operation.
Ukraine said that Russian aircraft bombed a former school near the front lines on Monday, which civilians used for weekly aid handouts.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a second wave of bombs then hit the underground shelter where people had taken cover, causing most of the destruction.
“After the first aerial bomb strike, there was a double-tap strike with nine more bombs, specifically targeting the shelter where people were taking cover,” he said on X.
Four police officers and two rescue workers were also among the dead.
Zelenskyy called it a “vile terrorist strike” and said it signalled Moscow’s refusal to stop the fighting. The UN human rights mission in Ukraine also said the strike was likely a breach of international law.
The attack on Monday came only a day after a six-day ceasefire in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky ended.
Russia and Ukraine both continued to trade drone attacks on Thursday, which injured several people on both sides, including a child.
On Wednesday, in the eastern Donetsk region, Russian attacks killed four civilians and injured five others.
Delegations from both Ukraine and Russia are expected to meet in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11 for US-brokered talks, though previous rounds made little progress.
