53 killed in bombing of aid center in Ukraine: search continues

53 people were killed in a Russian bombing of a humanitarian aid center in Zaporizhzhia. Rescue teams are searching the rubble for the fifth day. Among the dead are four police officers and two rescue workers. Russia claims it attacked military units.

The death toll from the Russian bombing of a humanitarian aid distribution center in the Zaporizhzhia region of southeastern Ukraine has risen to 53, acting regional governor Mykhailo Smykin announced on Friday. Rescue teams in the village of Komyshuvakha entered the fifth day of searching the rubble, under constant threat of further attacks. The attack occurred on Monday as residents were receiving aid in a building that previously served as a school. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian forces first bombed the school building and then struck a shelter where residents were hiding. Among the dead were four police officers and two rescue workers. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the attack targeted Ukrainian military units. The bombing, one of the deadliest against civilians in Ukraine this year, occurred shortly after the end of a local ceasefire in the Kherson region.