Death toll rises to three in Russian strike on high-rise residence in Ukraine's Kharkiv

By Vitalii Hnidyi

KHARKIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -Rescue teams completed recovery operations on Thursday at a high-rise residence in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv hit by a Russian-guided bomb, with emergency services saying the death toll had risen to three.

Emergency services said children aged 12 and 15 were among the dead in the Wednesday evening strike, and thirty-six people were injured.

Kharkiv region Governor Oleh Syniehubov earlier said that one of the children had been pulled from under rubble with head wounds and fractures, but medics were unable to save him.

Writing on the Telegram messaging app, Syniehubov said the strike had triggered a fire and destroyed most of one entrance, making a huge hole in the building.

Reuters Television footage showed rescue teams picking their way through twisted piles of concrete and other building materials to bring out the injured and rush them into ambulances. Firefighters on long hoists tackled smoke billowing from shattered apartments.

Kharkiv remained in Ukrainian hands through the initial failed advance of Russian forces on the capital Kyiv in the early days of the February 2022 invasion. It has since become a frequent target of Russian air attacks.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the attack underscored the need for more military aid from Ukraine's Western allies.

On Thursday, Syniehubov said guided bombs hit two areas outside the city, striking a business site. Three people were treated for acute stress.

Russian drones hit areas of Poltava region, further west, damaging private houses, regional Governor Filip Pronin said on Telegram. Two people were rescued from a burning building.

A missile strike on a fire station in the Black Sea port of Odesa injured two firefighters, the regional governor said.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski and Olesander Korzhukhov; Editing by Chris Reese, Bill Berkrot, Sandra Maler and Diane Craft)