7 dead, 117 wounded in Russian rocket strike on civilians on a sunny Saturday in Chernihiv’s city center
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At least seven people were killed and 117 wounded in a devastating Russian missile strike on the Drama Theater in central Chernihiv on Aug. 19, according to the latest data of the mayor’s office.
A six-year-old child was among the dead, and 12 other children were injured.
As of 1 p.m. EET, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported five dead. A 6-year-old girl was later reported as the sixth victim. Police officers tried to help her at the scene by applying a tourniquet, but unfortunately, they could not save the child. She later died in hospital due to excessive blood loss. The child's mother remains in hospital in critical condition.
Around 2:20 p.m., the Interior Ministry reported that the body of another victim, an unidentified woman, was found at the site of the attack. This brought the death toll to seven.
At the same time, 90 injured people have already sought medical assistance. Among them are 10 police officers and 12 children.
25 people have been hospitalized. Among them is a 12-year-old girl who is being urgently transported to Kyiv by ambulance. The child is in serious condition, the Interior Ministry said.
Many of the victims require surgery, according to the interior minister.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video of the aftermath of the attack. Later, other videos of the missile hitting the central square of Chernihiv were also posted online.
A bus was stopped just outside the theater at the time of the explosion, adding to the casualty count, said ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, adding that the area near the drama theater in central Chernihiv was very crowded at the time of the strike.
"There was a public transport stop nearby, and a bus stopped there to pick up and drop off passengers. Unfortunately, there are many victims in this very place," said the commissioner.
A drone exhibition, a popular church holiday, and sunny Saturday weather brought many Chernihiv residents to the city center ahead of the Russian attack.
The blast wave caused a fire to break out in the building of the commercial court and damaged the building of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration. Other buildings, stores, and cafes were also damaged in the city center and on the adjacent streets.
The ombudsman's representative Larysa Shumna is working at the scene, Lubinets added.
The drone exhibition of combat drone manufacturers, the Furious Birds, was held with the support of the local military administration, said co-organizer and volunteer Maria Berlinska. She added that while the event was announced previously, the location was only revealed hours in advance.
"The specific location was reported only to registered and verified participants a few hours before the event. All the data of the participants were provided to the relevant authorities," Berlinska said.
In turn, the Chernihiv mayor’s office stressed that the exhibition was not coordinated with them. At the same time, the promotional posters online indicate that the event was supported by the regional military administration.
Three days of mourning will take place in Chernihiv from Aug. 19 to 21, city council announced.
Russian troops struck the center of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv in the afternoon of Aug. 19. The enemy used a ballistic missile, said Vyacheslav Chaus, head of the Chernihiv Oblast Military Administration.
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