The death toll from a Russian bombing of a humanitarian aid distribution point in south-eastern Ukraine has risen to 42, police said on Thursday, as rescuers continued to search the rubble of a school in the village of Komyshuvakha where as many as 33 more people may still be buried. Reuters described it as one of the deadliest strikes on civilians in Ukraine this year.
The attack struck on Monday, 2 November, as residents of the frontline village in the Zaporizhzhia region gathered to collect their weekly aid packages. According to Ukrainian officials, the first bombs hit the school building used to hand out the aid — and then a second wave of bombs struck the shelter where people had taken cover.
Zaporizhzhia police said on Telegram that the bodies of 42 victims had been recovered and that work to identify them was continuing. On Wednesday, Ivan Fedorov, co-head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Defense Council, had said 59 people were missing. The toll has risen almost daily since the attack: Ukrainian officials reported at least 24 dead on Monday, 29 on Tuesday, and 31 to 33 by Wednesday, before Thursday's figure of 42.
What happened in Komyshuvakha
Komyshuvakha sits close to the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region, and its school had been closed to students for some time. Instead, the building served as a shelter and as a weekly distribution point where residents who had stayed in the village collected aid packages every Monday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
According to the New Voice of Ukraine, Russian forces dropped several FAB-500 and FAB-3000 guided aerial bombs on the site. Regional governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed that Russian forces carried out at least nine strikes during the assault, first dropping FAB-500 bombs before unleashing the three-tonne FAB-3000 bombs. Ukraine's national police said the strikes included a three-ton FAB glide bomb, a weapon that defence intelligence websites say carries around 1.4 tons of explosives, according to Reuters.
Bodycam footage from one of the police officers killed, which Reuters verified, showed the moments before a second Russian strike hit, destroying the shelter where residents were hiding after a radio warning.
| Date | What was reported |
|---|---|
| Monday, 2 November | Bombs hit the school aid point, then the shelter; at least 24 people reported killed, five injured |
| Tuesday, 3 November | Death toll reported at 29, with 48 people considered missing |
| Wednesday, 4 November | Toll reported at 31 to 33; 59 people reported missing |
| Thursday, 5 November | Police confirm 42 bodies recovered; up to 33 people may still be under the rubble |
Who was killed
Most of the victims were civilians who had come to collect aid, along with people who came to help after the first strike, Zelenskyy said. Among the dead were two members of a rescue crew and four police officers, according to Ukraine's emergency services.
Rescue teams have been working at the site for four days, pulling bodies from the rubble as the security situation allows. Zelenskyy said on Tuesday that rescue operations would continue "for as long as necessary to find every person".
"The Russians could not have been unaware that residents had received humanitarian aid there every week."
— President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on the Komyshuvakha strike
Russia's account
Russia's Defence Ministry said the attack targeted Ukrainian military units around Komyshuvakha and two other settlements, and that up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen were killed, according to Reuters. Moscow and Kyiv both deny deliberately targeting civilians.
Zelenskyy rejected that account. He called the attack "utterly horrific" and said it was "further proof that Russia wants no de-escalation, no real justice". He said the strike came hours after a limited local ceasefire expired in the Kherson region, in the country's south, and argued that Moscow had squandered an opening created by a humanitarian mission in Oleshky, a Russian-occupied southern city, brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump.
Context: The strike came as the United States announced plans for new peace talks on 10 and 11 November, and a day after Zelenskyy said he had spoken with US special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Brussels ahead of trilateral talks with Russia and the United States.
What we know — and what we don't know yet
What is confirmed: At least 42 people were killed when bombs struck a school used as a humanitarian aid hub and a nearby shelter in Komyshuvakha on 2 November. Rescue operations are continuing, and up to 33 more people may be trapped under the rubble. Two rescuers and four police officers are among the dead.
What is not yet known: The final death toll, which may still rise as rescuers reach deeper into the rubble. The identities of all the victims have not yet been established. Whether any independent investigation will be able to establish the full circumstances of the strike, given the village's position close to the front line.
Unverified: The competing accounts of what the site was used for cannot both be right — Ukrainian officials say it was a civilian aid point, while Russia's Defence Ministry says it targeted military units. Neither claim has been independently verified by outside investigators, and this article attributes each claim to its source rather than treating either as established fact.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Komyshuvakha?
Komyshuvakha is a village in Ukraine's south-eastern Zaporizhzhia region, close to the front line of the war with Russia. Its school had been closed to students because of the fighting and was being used as a shelter and aid distribution point.
Why were people gathered at the school?
Residents who had stayed in the village collected humanitarian aid packages there every Monday, according to Zelenskyy. The first strike came just as people were arriving to collect aid.
Why is the death toll still rising?
Rescuers are working through the rubble of the destroyed school and shelter, and police say up to 33 people may still be buried. Bodies are being recovered and identified over several days, so the confirmed toll has risen from 24 on Monday to 42 on Thursday.
What has Russia said about the strike?
Russia's Defence Ministry said the attack targeted Ukrainian military units around Komyshuvakha and two other settlements, and that up to 25 Ukrainian servicemen were killed. Moscow denies deliberately targeting civilians.
What happens next?
Rescue and recovery work continues at the site. The strike is likely to feature in the run-up to US-announced peace talks scheduled for 10 and 11 November, and in the trilateral discussions Zelenskyy said were being prepared with Russia and the United States.
Key takeaways
- The death toll from the 2 November bombing of an aid distribution point in Komyshuvakha has risen to 42, police said on Thursday, with up to 33 more people possibly still buried.
- The attack hit a school used for weekly humanitarian aid distributions, then struck the shelter where people had taken cover — a sequence Ukrainian officials describe as a double-tap strike involving at least nine bombs.
- Two rescuers and four police officers are among the dead, according to Ukraine's emergency services.
- Russia says it targeted Ukrainian military units; both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians. The competing claims have not been independently verified.
- The toll may still rise as rescue work continues, and the strike comes days before US-announced peace talks on 10 and 11 November.
The figures in this article are drawn from police and official statements reported by Reuters, the New Voice of Ukraine, and Al Jazeera, and they are attributed to those sources throughout. If the toll changes or new verified information emerges, this article will be updated.
