Saturday, March 19, 2022

Rescue operations continue in Mykolaiv where dozens reported killed in strike on Ukrainian barracks

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https://www.cnn.com/europe/live-news/ukraine-russia-putin-news-03-19-22/h_40dd5fb05cf7cebfbd7517e645a06111

Rescue operations continue in Mykolaiv where dozens reported killed in strike on Ukrainian barracks

From CNN's Abby Baggini, Samson Desta and Jonny Hallam and Yulia Kesaieva 

Soldiers conduct search efforts at the scene of a missile strike in Mykolaiv, Ukraine.
Soldiers conduct search efforts at the scene of a missile strike in Mykolaiv, Ukraine. (Niclas Hammarström/Expressen)

Rescue operations were still underway in Mykolaiv Saturday morning at the scene of a missile strike on a barracks housing soldiers, regional boss Vitalli Kim said. 

Dozens of troops are reported to have been killed in the attack by Russian forces, according to journalists from CNN Swedish affiliate Expressen who were at the scene.

Expressen correspondent Magnus Falkehed and photojournalist Niclas Hammarström reported that around 6 a.m. local time on Friday (12 a.m. ET), “Two Russian fighter jets dropped what appeared to be five bombs,” destroying several buildings at the barracks. 

Speaking on his Telegram channel Saturday, Kim said he was not yet able to provide information on fatalities, as he was waiting for official data.  

Rescuers at the scene have been using shovels and their bare hands to free survivors from the rubble of the buildings. In dramatic video filmed by Expressen, one Ukrainian soldier is seen being pulled alive from wreckage. 

Expressen quoted one of the surviving soldiers, 54-year-old Serhil, who was sleeping in the barracks opposite where the attack hit, as saying, “of the approximately 200 who were there, I would guess about 90% did not survive.” 

"Glass flew everywhere. I prayed to God that I would have time to take shelter before more bombs came. There are always more bombs," Nikita, a 22-year-old Ukrainian soldier, told Expressen. 

Mykolaiv, a southern city that sits along the Black Sea, has been a frequent target of Russian attacks. 

It is seen as a strategic target for Russian land forces in any move to capture Ukraine's third-largest city, Odesa, which lies further west along the coast. 

 

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