[News] Kramatorsk: Russian missile strike hits restaurants in Ukrainian city

[NANO]

Two Russian missiles have hit the centre of Kramatorsk in eastern Ukraine, killing 2 people and injuring 22, Ukrainian officials say.

A restaurant and shopping area were hit in Tuesday's strike on the city, which is under Ukrainian control but close to Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine.

People may be trapped under the rubble and a rescue operation is under way.

An eyewitness told the BBC he saw "dead people, people screaming, people crying, huge chaos".

Belgian freelance journalist Arnaud De Becker told BBC Newshour he was at the po[CENSORED]r Ria Lounge restaurant just minutes before it was hit.

"There's still people underneath the rubble because it's a big restaurant," he said.

"Now I can hear people screaming underneath the rubble as rescuers are trying to save them."

He estimated up to 80 staff members and customers were on the restaurant premises at the time of the strike, so feared the casualty number could be "severe".

A rescue operation is currently under way in the city centre, with security agencies assisting emergency services at the scene and evacuating victims.

Local authorities say the area had a high concentration of civilians when the missiles hit and a child is said to be among those injured as a result of the attack.

"Just half an hour ago, two missiles struck the city of Kramatorsk," regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told Ukrainian television on Tuesday evening.

"This is the city centre. These were public eating places crowded with civilians."

Russian forces have also targeted a nearby village, Kramatorsk city council said.

The White House condemned Russia for its "brutal strikes" on Ukraine in response to Tuesday's attack.

Kramatorsk has been hit by shelling from Russian forces multiple times since the start of the invasion last February - including in April 2022 when more than 50 people died following a missile strike on the city's railway station.

It is also exactly a year to the date since a shopping centre in the city of Kremenchuk was hit by Russian shelling, killing at least 18 people.

It comes as President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine's counter-offensive was advancing on all fronts.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66031342