By EFE
May 26, 2024, 3:19 PM EDT
A Russian attack that occurred Saturday against an Epicenter chain hypermarket in Kharkiv, in northeastern Ukraine, has left 16 dead and 43 injured, while eight people are still missing, Ukrainian authorities reported on Sunday.
The head of the Regional Military Administration, Oleg Siniegúbov, noted on his Telegram channel that ten people have been identified so far, eight of them through DNA tests.
“Among the deceased is a 12-year-old girl and her mother,” he explained, and also indicated that rescue teams have removed about 30% of the debris.
Emergency services had to suspend debris clearing efforts during an aerial alert, he said.
“This is not the first time that the occupier uses double attack tactics,” he stressed.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, had indicated on Saturday on the social network X that more than 200 people could have been in the hypermarket, and emphasized that international aid is vital to contain Russia.
“There is no nation that alone can stop this war, without help; the commitment of world leaders is needed,” Zelensky said, adding: “We all know who we are dealing with.”
He stated that “Russia is run by men who want to make it the norm to burn lives, destroy cities and towns, divide people and erase national borders through war.”
He said he was in Kharkiv, “unfortunately, very close to the Russian border,” which means for the city “the third year of constant terror.”
Firefighters needed more than 16 hours to extinguish the fire, which spread over an area of more than 13,000 square meters.