Russia-Ukraine war: At least 15 dead, several feared trapped as Russian rockets hit apartment block in Ukraine

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

Amid the ongoing war, at least 15 people were killed and two dozen more are feared trapped after Russian Uragan rockets hit a five-storey apartment block in Ukraine's Donetsk region. Local officials said that the search and rescue operations are underway. Reports have mentioned that around 24 more people could still be under the rubble.

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Donetsk Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said the strike on the apartment building took place on Saturday evening in the town of Chasiv Yar.

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Andriy Yermak said in a Telegram post that the strike was "another terrorist attack" and that Russia should be designated as a state sponsor of terrorism as a result. Yermak is the chief of staff to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

A local resident who has been identified as Ludmila said, "We ran to the basement, there were three hits, the first somewhere in the kitchen. The second, I do not even remember, there was lightning, we ran towards the second entrance and then straight into the basement. We sat there all night until this morning."

Another survivor, who gave her name as Venera, said she had wanted to save her two kittens. "I was thrown into the bathroom, it was all chaos, I was in shock, all covered in blood," she said, crying. "By the time I left the bathroom, the room was full up of rubble, three floors fell down. I never found the kittens under the rubble."

(With inputs from agencies)

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