Russian drones kill 7, including baby and children aged 4 and 7, in Ukraine fuel station ‘river of fire’
- Strikes on Ukraine’s second largest city hit civilian infrastructure including a petrol station, causing deadly blazes and burning some residents alive
- Kharkiv has been under attack regularly since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has been a frequent target in recent weeks
Russia launched a drone attack on Ukraine’s city of Kharkiv, killing seven people, including three small children, triggering blazes and damaging infrastructure and homes, officials said on Saturday.
Oleh Synehubov, Kharkiv regional governor, said Russian forces struck the nation’s second biggest city late on Friday.
Casualties included a family of five, with three children aged six months, four years and seven years, all killed in their home after drones hit a petrol station.
The woman and children had sought shelter in the bathroom while the man’s body was found in a passage of the house, said the governor.
Fuel quickly spread through the neighbouring street, burning some residents alive and injuring others.
“In five minutes we had a river of fire. We had to run away from home, just run away,” said Oleskandr Lagutin, who was injured in the attack. Local authorities said the fire also killed a couple.