Russian drone attack kills at least four in Ukraine's Kharkiv, officials say

Police officers work next to a crater that appeared after a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kharkiv, Ukraine March 26, 2024. REUTERS/Vitalii Hnidyi

Russian drones hit high-rise apartment blocks and private homes early on Thursday in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, killing at least four people, including rescue workers in a repeat strike at the site of one attack, officials said.

Kharkiv Regional Governor Oleh Synehubov, writing on the Telegram messaging app, put the death toll at four, with 10 injured, and one in serious condition.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov, also writing on Telegram, said four people died at the scene of one attack, at least three of them drivers of emergency vehicles killed after they had arrived at the scene and a new strike occurred.

Terekhov said there had been five drone strikes. One had triggered a fire, part of another building had collapsed, and at least three vehicles were seriously damaged.

One person was killed in a strike on private homes in another city district, Terekhov said.

Synehubov said one of the injured was a nurse caught in a later, secondary blast.

Pictures and video posted online showed ladders from fire trucks operating under floodlights and extending up to shattered apartments at the top of high-rise blocks.

Terekhov told Suspilne public television that signs of life had been detected from one person beneath the rubble.

Suspilne reported one of the strikes seriously damaged apartments on three floors of a 14-storey building. It said emergency crews had been unable to work for at least an hour for fear of impending new strikes.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the accounts. Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians in the 25-month-old war in which it is focusing on capturing eastern and southern parts of Ukraine.

Kharkiv has been a frequent target of Russian drone and missile attacks.

Last week, Russian forces used an aerial bomb on the city, killing one person. A missile attack on an industrial area earlier in the month killed five people.

Terekhov said some city districts could be hit by power cuts. Russia in recent weeks has intensified its attacks on electricity and other infrastructure.