Regional officials said Friday that a Russian strike on a school used as an aid center in Komyshuvakha, southeastern Ukraine, killed 53 people, as rescue crews began their fifth day of searching the wreckage.
Acting regional governor Mykhailo Semikin announced the updated toll on Nov. 6. Earlier, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service had reported 50 dead as more bodies were recovered. The strike hit the village on Monday, Nov. 2, as residents gathered at the former school to collect humanitarian aid.
The site also had an underground shelter. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a second wave of bombs hit the shelter after people had taken cover there. Officials said the search continued in difficult conditions and amid the threat of more Russian attacks.
On Wednesday, police said dozens might still be trapped. Some people who were then listed as missing may since have been identified among those recovered dead. The final toll remains uncertain.
Al Jazeera reported that it could not independently confirm the figure of 53. Ukrainian officials have described the attack as one of the deadliest civilian strikes of the year.