Death toll in Kharkiv attack reaches 18 as three more bodies retrieved from under rubble

This was reported on Telegram by the press service of the Kharkiv City Council, according to Ukrinform.

"Rescuers today found three more bodies at the site of the shelling of a dormitory on Ahiezeriv Street...Thus, the number of people killed by the Russian missile attack has already reached 18," the message says.

It is noted that one body is confirmed to be of a male victim, while two others will require expert examination to identify them.

Search operation at the scene of the tragedy is ongoing.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, on August 17 at around 21:30, a Russian Iskander missile hit a three-storey residential block in the Saltiv district of Kharkiv, completely destroying the building and causing a large-scale fire. According to the local officials, the destroyed building was a former dormitory for people with hearing impairments, which was serving as a regular residential block. Among the rescued are people with disabilities and children.