The airstrike took place on November 2 in the village of Komyshuvakha in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. The school, which was being used as a shelter and a distribution centre for humanitarian supplies, was hit during the attack. According to Reuters, the incident is among the deadliest attacks on civilians this year.
Rescue operations were still underway on Wednesday, as soldiers and emergency workers cleared the debris and searched for people trapped beneath the collapsed structure. Rescue teams remained hopeful that some victims could still be found alive under the rubble.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian forces dropped aerial bombs on the school while people had gathered there to collect humanitarian supplies. He also said that the location being used for rescue operations was bombed again after the initial attack.
The school had been closed for a long time because of its proximity to the frontline. However, humanitarian aid was distributed there every Monday, and people also used the building as a shelter whenever necessary.
According to Ukraine’s emergency services, the death toll includes two members of the rescue team and four police officers. Videos released after the attack showed soldiers placing bodies in bags and transporting them in vans. Heavy machinery was being used to remove the remains of the damaged building, while soldiers also kept watch for drones in the sky during the rescue operation.
Russia’s Defence Ministry has claimed that its forces targeted Ukrainian military positions in Komyshuvakha and two other nearby areas. According to the ministry, 25 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the operation. Ukraine, however, maintains that the Russian attack targeted civilians.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry has also expressed grief over the incident. In a social media post, the ministry described reports of 40 deaths in Komyshuvakha as deeply distressing. It noted that a school where humanitarian aid was being distributed had also been hit and that several people remained missing.
Israel condemned the attack, expressed condolences to the families of those killed and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. Meanwhile, rescue workers and soldiers continued searching the school rubble on Wednesday, as the fate of those still missing remained uncertain.
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