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6 dead in rocket attack on Belgorod, Russia

Updated with number of injuries and deaths.

Rescue workers in the western Russian city of Belgorod have recovered the bodies of six people buried under the rubble of a residential building that collapsed after a Ukrainian missile hit on Sunday.

“A sixth victim was recovered from under the rubble in Belgorod,” Russia’s Emergencies Ministry said on Telegram, after previously reporting that five people had been found dead at the same site.

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier on Sunday that a Ukrainian Tochka-U missile hit a “residential area” in the city after being intercepted by air defense systems.

It was not immediately possible to verify the Defense Department’s claim.

“According to the latest data, the number of injured is 20,” state news agency TASS said. The Russian health minister had previously said that 17 people had been injured.

A video released by Russia’s Emergencies Ministry showed firefighters and rescuers trying to clear a huge pile of tangled debris.

Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov posted a video on Telegram showing the collapsed residential building.

“After direct shelling of a residential building, the entire entrance, from the tenth to the ground floor, collapsed,” Gladkov said, condemning what he called “massive bombings” by the Ukrainian military.

The Ministry of Emergency Situations warned that the number of victims could rise after part of the building’s roof collapsed while rescuers were searching for survivors.

A resident told RIA Novosti that she was in a building corridor when an explosion went off and her husband was in a bedroom.

“He didn’t have time (to escape),” the woman was quoted as saying by the news agency.

Since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Belgorod has been a regular target of Ukrainian drone and missile attacks.