London [UK], March 7: British humanitarian volunteers survived a Russian missile strike on a hotel building in Ukraine which left four dead, the country's president said.
The death toll from the attack in Kryvyi Rih on Wednesday has risen to four as rescue operations continue.
Two men and a woman died and 31 people were injured, including a 13-year-old girl, in the attack. Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the Kryvyi Rih Defence Council, said on Telegram on Thursday that a fourth man wounded in the attack had died in hospital.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X that the humanitarian volunteers survived because they fled their rooms.
He said: "All night, a rescue operation continued in Kryvyi Rih at the site of a Russian missile strike. A ballistic missile struck an ordinary hotel.
"Just before the attack, volunteers from a humanitarian organization - citizens of Ukraine, the United States, and the United Kingdom - had checked into the hotel.
"They survived because they managed to get down from their rooms in time. Unfortunately, four people were killed in this attack. My condolences to their families and loved ones." He went on: "Rescue workers are still on-site, and all emergency services continue to operate.
Zelensky, who is attempting to repair relations between Kyiv and US President Donald Trump's administration after last week's public row at the White House, condemned the attack.
"There must be no pause in the pressure on Russia to stop this war and terror against life," he said.
Kryvyi Rih is Zelenskyy's home town and has been attacked frequently from Russia, including a missile attack in January that killed four.
The attack on Wednesday damaged two schools, two nurseries, a post office, business facilities, a cultural site and 14 apartment buildings, Vilkul said.
Ukraine's emergency services said 19 people have been rescued so far.
Russia launched 112 drones overnight, the Ukrainian air force said on Telegram. They said 68 of the attacks were countered and 43 others failed to hit targets.
A spokesperson for the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said: "Russia's indiscriminate attacks on civilians are a sobering reminder that Putin continues to wage his barbaric war.
"Aid workers' protection must be ensured as they carry out vital work to mitigate Ukrainian suffering."
Source: Qatar Tribune
