Rescue hopes fade after Russian attack on Dnipro apartment block

At the very least 30 killed after Russian assault as mayor of Ukrainian metropolis says there may be little hope of discovering extra survivors.

Ukrainian authorities say there may be little hope of rescuing any extra survivors from the rubble of a collapsed condo block within the metropolis of Dnipro a day after it was hit by Russian missiles, with dozens of individuals anticipated to have been killed.

The regional governor’s adviser, Natalia Babachenko, mentioned 30 folks have been confirmed lifeless to date and greater than 30 have been in hospital, together with 12 in severe situation. Between 30 and 40 folks might nonetheless be trapped underneath particles, she mentioned.

Emergency staff mentioned that they had heard folks screaming for assist from beneath the rubble of the nine-storey condo block within the metropolis in east-central Ukraine. The employees used moments of silence to direct their rescue efforts, however freezing temperatures added to rescue issues.

“The possibilities of saving folks now are minimal,” Dnipro’s Mayor Borys Filatov instructed the information company Reuters. “I feel the variety of lifeless might be within the dozens.”

Filatov added that two stairwells and dozens of flats have been destroyed.

“Some folks have been pulled out alive; some have been badly injured,” Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler mentioned, including that “among the many lifeless was a 15-year-old woman”.

Russia fired two waves of missiles at Ukraine on Saturday, attacking targets throughout the nation together with the capital, Kyiv, and the northeastern metropolis of Kharkiv, as preventing raged on the battlefield within the japanese cities of Soledar and Bakhmut.

Moscow, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, has been pounding the nation’s vitality infrastructure with missiles and drones since October, inflicting sweeping blackouts and disruptions to central heating and operating water.

In an announcement on Sunday about its earlier day of strikes, the Russian defence ministry didn’t point out Dnipro as a particular goal.

“All assigned objects have been hit. The targets of the strike have been achieved,” it mentioned.

Russia has repeatedly denied focusing on civilians within the battle.

The Dnipro condo block was struck by a Russian Kh-22 missile, in keeping with Ukraine’s air drive, which mentioned the missile is understood to be inaccurate. Ukraine additionally lacks the air defences to shoot such missiles down.

A spokesperson for Ukraine’s southern command mentioned Russia had fired solely half of the cruise missiles it had deployed to the Black Sea throughout Saturday’s assaults.

“This means that they nonetheless have sure plans,” mentioned the spokesperson, Natalia Humeniuk. “We should perceive that they’ll nonetheless be used.”