Ukrainian authorities fear that some 60 people have died after a Russian air attack this Saturday against a school in the Luhansk region, one of the two that make up the Donbas, the industrial heart of Ukraine located in the east of the country.
The governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hayday, confirmed this Sunday that
the bodies of two people were found
in the rubble of the school in the town of Bilogorivka, where 90 people were taking refuge in a basement.
Posting photos of the burning debris on the Telegram messaging app, Hayday said
27 people had been rescued,
seven of them injured, but feared most were dead.
"All 60 people left under the wreckage of the building are likely to have died," he said.
Emergency personnel attend to a fire, after a school was hit by bombs in the town of Bilohorivka, Luhansk, Ukraine, May 8, 2022. State Emergency Services/ via REUTERS
“The explosion occurred inside the building.
Rescuers [are] clearing the debris as quickly as possible.
The chances of finding [someone alive] are very slim,” he explained.
[The United States provided information to Ukraine for the sinking of the Russian flagship Moskva]
The attack occurred around 4:37 pm (local time) on Saturday, sparking a fire that took nearly four hours to extinguish.
The heaviest fighting in recent days has been in eastern Ukraine, where the two sides are entrenched in a fierce battle to capture or recapture territory.
Moscow's offensive has focused on the predominantly Russian-speaking Donbas, where Kremlin-backed separatists have been fighting Ukrainian forces for the past eight years and have declared two independent republics that have been recognized by Russia.
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Zelenskyy meets with G7 leaders
Leaders of the world's largest economies are scheduled to hold a video call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy this Sunday in a show of unity the day before Russia celebrates its Victory Day party in honor of the Soviet triumph over the Soviet Union. Nazi Germany on May 9.
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The G7 meeting comes after Zelenskyy warned in a video address late on Saturday that Russian forces are likely to intensify their attacks ahead of Monday.
His comments came after the key Black Sea port of Odessa was attacked by cruise missiles and shelling of the Azovstal steel plant off the coast of Mariupol continued on Saturday.
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All women, children and the elderly have been evacuated from the sprawling site, Ukraine's deputy prime minister said on Saturday, but soldiers and civilians remain in the facility where fighters are making their last stand to prevent a complete takeover of the town. port city of strategic importance on the part of Moscow.
With information from AP,
NBC News
and
CNN
.
