Bilohorivka school bombing explained
On 7 May 2022, a school in Bilohorivka, Luhansk Oblast, was bombed by Russian forces during the Battle of Sievierodonetsk[1] in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The death of at least two people was confirmed while authorities said the actual death toll was close to 60.[2]
About ninety people were sheltering inside the building's basement at the time,[3] which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was the majority of the village's population. The building was hit by a Russian airstrike, setting the building on fire and trapping large numbers of people inside.[4]
Aftermath
At least 30 people were rescued.[5] Two people were confirmed to have been killed, but Governor of Luhansk Oblast Serhiy Haidai said that the 60 remaining people were believed to have been killed.[6]
Reactions
The attack was condemned by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, and UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres, who said he was "appalled" by the attack.[7]
Liz Truss, the British foreign secretary, said that she was "horrified" and described the attack as constituting war crimes.
Notes and References
- News: 2022-05-08 . Ukraine war: 60 people killed after bomb hits school, Zelensky says . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-05-09 . 9 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220509110941/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61369229 . live .
- News: 2022-05-08 . Bombing of school in Ukraine kills two, dozens more feared dead, governor says . en . Reuters . 2022-05-08 . 8 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220508115213/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/bombing-school-ukrainian-town-kills-two-60-more-under-debris-governor-2022-05-08/ . live .
- News: Up to 60 feared dead after Russia bombs school in eastern Ukraine . en-US . Washington Post . 2022-05-08 . 0190-8286 . 10 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220510090535/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/05/08/ukraine-luhansk-school-bomb-russia/ . live .
- News: Sixty feared dead in Ukraine school bombed by Russia, governor says . en-US . Reuters . 2022-05-08 . 10 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220510090527/https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukraine-azovstal-steelworks-evacuation-focuses-wounded-medics-2022-05-08/ . live .
- News: Azovstal Defenders Vow To Fight Until The End, Saying, 'We Don't Have Much Time' . 2022-05-10 . RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty . en . 10 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220510133203/https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-russia-war-mariupol-azovstal-/31839614.html . live .
- Web site: Becatoros . Elena . Gambrell . Jon . 60 feared dead in Russian strike on school in eastern Ukraine . 2022-05-08 . www.timesofisrael.com . en-US . 10 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220510090529/https://www.timesofisrael.com/60-feared-dead-in-russian-strike-on-school-in-eastern-ukraine/ . live .
- Web site: 2022-05-08 . Ukraine: UN chief condemns school attack; welcomes new evacuees from Mariupol . 2022-05-09 . UN News . en . 10 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220510090528/https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/05/1117782 . live .
