Ukraine: Death toll from Hroza strike rises to 52; UN team deployed to investigate

The death toll froman airstrike on the northeastern Ukrainian village in the Kharkiv region rose to 52 on Friday (Oct 6), reported Reuters. Rescue workers are still searching through the rubble for bodies after what Kyiv said was one of Russia's deadliest attacks on civilians since the beginning of its invasion. The United Nations human rights agency has deployed a field team to investigate the attack.

Death toll rises to 52

“Fifty-two people died as a result of this missile attack. One person died in a medical facility,” Oleh Synehubov, governor of the Kharkiv region, told Ukrainian television. He added, “People are still there (in hospitals). The injuries are quite serious.”

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Those killed includea six-year-old boy after a missile rammed into a cafe and grocery store where people gathered to mourn a fallen Ukrainian soldier.

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Officials have also announced a three-day mourning period after the attack.

UN team in Kharkiv

A spokesperson for the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Friday said they have deployed a field team to investigate the attack.

“The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, who saw for himself the horrific impact of such strikes, is profoundly shocked and condemns these killings,” UN human rights office spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell told reporters in Geneva.

A probable Russian strike: UN

The UN agency also said that the attack “appeared to be a Russian missile”. At this stage, it is “very difficult to establish with absolute certainty what happened,” said Throssell.

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“But given the location, given the fact that the cafe was struck, the indications are that it was a Russian missile,” she added.

The UN rights office’s monitoring mission in Ukraine has been able to identify 35 victims. They have so far established that at least 23 of the fatalities “appeared to be in civilian clothing,” said Throssell, adding that there did not appear to be military targets nearby.

Russia denies attacking civilians

Amid repeated accusations by Kyiv that Moscow is deliberately targeting its civilians, the Kremlin has yet again denied the allegations.

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“We repeat that the Russian military does not strike civilian targets. Strikes are carried out on military targets, on places where military personnel are concentrated,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in his daily briefing.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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