Kiev, March 16 (IANS) – The death toll in the Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Odesa has tragically risen to 21, with at least 73 people injured to various degrees of severity. The attack also included seven first responders and an unknown number of police officers.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed the increase in casualties, stating that another wounded individual had passed away in the hospital. The previous death toll had stood at 20 as of Friday evening. Among the deceased were Odesa’s former Deputy Mayor, Serhii Tetiukhin, and the Commander of the police special forces battalion Tsunami, Oleksandr Hostishchev.
Following the strike, rescuers swiftly arrived at the scene to extinguish fires, sift through debris, and search for survivors. However, Russian forces launched another attack during the rescue operation, adding to the chaos and destruction in the area.
Russian forces were said to have used Iskander-M ballistic missiles from occupied Crimea, according to Ukraine’s Southern Defence Forces. The international community condemns these acts of aggression, which have led to a devastating loss of life and widespread destruction in Odesa.
