Russian strike on Kramatorsk, Ukraine kills two

Local residents walk past a house destroyed by recent shelling in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in the settlement of Panteleimonivka in the Donetsk region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, February 17, 2024. (REUTERS)
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  • Alexander, who lives in the residential neighborhood that came under attack told AFP he heard a loud noise followed by an explosion

KRAMATORSK, Ukraine: Russian rocket fire killed at least two people in the eastern city of Kramatorsk Saturday night, the regional governor said.
AFP journalists at the scene saw rescue workers carrying a victim from a destroyed two-story home in a white body bag, as emergency services dug through rubble for survivors.
Ukraine鈥檚 Donetsk Governor Vadim Filashkin said Russia had fired three rockets at Kramatorsk.
鈥淩escuers pulled the body of a woman born in 1977 from the rubble,鈥� he wrote on social media, adding later that the body of a 23-year-old man had also been found.
One more person was feared buried under the piles of broken concrete and debris, he added.
Alexander, who lives in the residential neighborhood that came under attack told AFP he heard a loud noise followed by an explosion.
鈥淚 was in the hall playing with my two-year-old daughter,鈥� the 25-year-old said. 鈥淪he was hysterical.
鈥淎ll the window frames and doors were blown out from our house,鈥� he added.
Dozens of rescue workers were at the scene of the strike working by lamplight, using construction vehicles, their hands and shovels at times to shift the debris.
At one point they cut floodlights powered by loud generators to listen for signs of life under debris next to a two-meter crater.
A neighbor who arrived at the scene of the strike in shock appealed to police for information.
鈥淭ell me, are they alive? I鈥檒l call Sasha now. Maybe he鈥檚 alive,鈥� she cried.
The authorities did not immediately identify the victims.
Air raids sirens rang out over the city warning of fresh strikes as the rescue operation was ongoing.
A spokeswoman for the regional administration said the strike followed an escalating pattern of indiscriminate Russian attacks on civilians.
There was no immediate comment from Moscow but the Kremlin has repeatedly denied its forces target civilian infrastructure.
Kramatorsk is around 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the frontlines in eastern Ukraine.
It has come under repeated Russian attack since the start of the war two years ago, including an April 2022 strike on the city鈥檚 train station that killed more than 60 people.