Dnipro medical facility attack: Deadly Russian strikes hit central Ukrainian city

CNN
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At least two individuals died and dozens extra have been left injured after Russian forces struck a medical facility within the city of Dnipro on Friday morning, after intense shelling rained over central Ukraine in a single day.

A 69-year-old man was killed whereas “just passing by when the rocket struck the city,” and the body of one other man “was pulled out of the rubble,” mentioned Serhii Lysak, head of the regional navy administration.

CNN geolocated the assault to Dnipropetrovsk City Hospital No. 14 and a veterinary clinic in an industrial district north of the Dnipro river within the central Ukrainian city. The explosions in Dnipro occurred at round 10:30 a.m. native time (3:30 a.m. ET) on Friday, in accordance with CCTV.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Air Force reported strikes on the Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk areas from 10 p.m. Thursday evening to 5 a.m. on Friday morning.

The Air Force command reported 17 cruise missiles and 31 “attack drones” and famous that there have been strikes in Dnipro and Kharkiv areas utilizing S-300/S-400 missile methods.

Kyiv additionally noticed some air assaults throughout the city, in accordance with Serhii Popko, head of the city’s navy administration. He added that there have been no casualties.

Around 31 individuals have been wounded within the bombardment in Dnipro, together with eight medical doctors and two youngsters, in accordance with the top of Dnipro’s regional council Mykola Lukashuk. Among the injured, 16 individuals have been taken to hospitals and the others are receiving outpatient therapy, Lukashuk mentioned in a Telegram publish.

Rescue operations have been ongoing on Friday afternoon, with staff trying to find survivors below the rubble. Three individuals have been lacking following the assault.

Scenes emerged of fires tearing via one of many buildings of the medical clinic. The video, posted by Lysak, additionally confirmed smoke pouring out of home windows and a completely collapsed roof.

A CNN workforce on the bottom noticed emergency staff standing on cranes and reducing water hoses over the wreckage, whereas diggers cleared rubble from the scene.

Dnipro Mayor Boris Filatov mentioned {that a} change of shifts for medical doctors meant fewer individuals than regular have been working on the facility on the time of the assault.

“The moment the rocket struck there was a change of shifts. Hopefully, there will be no more victims,” Filatov advised journalists on the hospital website.

“It is a miracle that the rocket struck at the very moment of the doctors’ change of shifts.” He added that there have been outpatient consultations when the assault came about.

The clinic is used to deal with mentally ailing sufferers and likewise homes an inpatient therapy facility, in accordance with the mayor.

The rocket strike additionally affected a veterinary clinic, the place animals present process therapy needed to be dug out of the rubble, the clinic’s proprietor mentioned.

“All the employees are in a state of shock,” clinic proprietor Dr. Andrii Malyshko advised Ukrainian TV. “All the animals were saved from the burning building.”

The rocket hit the clinic at round 10:30 a.m. native time, which precipitated a fireplace. The clinic had quite a few canine and a few cats, which have been all transferred to clinics close by, in accordance with Malyshko.

Kyiv and its Western allies fiercely condemned the Kremlin’s assault on central Ukraine, calling for accountability over the Russian strikes.

France known as them “war crimes” that “cannot go unpunished,” in accordance with a press release from the French Foreign Ministry.

The missile and drone assaults on Kyiv and the Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk areas of Ukraine “once again deliberately targeted civilian sites,” the ministry mentioned, “in flagrant violation of international humanitarian law.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned on Friday: “Russian terrorists once again confirm their status of fighters against everything humane and honest.”

“The shelling aftermath is being eliminated and the victims are being rescued. All necessary services are involved,” he added.