Dozens taken to hospital after deadly Zaporizhzhia rocket attack

Thirty-five of the 40 people hospitalized after a deadly rocket attack on the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia Saturday night are in a stable condition, according to a local official.

Two children are among those hospitalized with non-life threatening injuries while a further 12 are receiving outpatient treatment according to Anatoly Kurtev, acting mayor of the city.

In a Telegram post Sunday morning Kurtev warned people in Zaporizhzhia to go to air raid shelters immediately.

At least 17 people were killed and 40 others wounded after rockets struck Zaporizhzhia on Saturday, according to the city’s Acting Mayor Anatoly Kurtev.

The attack, which began around 7 p.m. local time, destroyed five houses and damaged apartment buildings and streets, Kurtev said Saturday on his official Telegram channel.

Zaporizhzhia is a major city in southern Ukraine, not far from the front line, and the site of a nuclear power plant that the international community is watching warily.

Part of the wider region is occupied by Russian forces.

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed measures this week to annex four Ukrainian regions, including Zaporizhzhia, in violation of international law.

Agencies