Terrifying CCTV shows civilians fleeing in deadly shopping centre strike
Horrifying CCTV shows the moment multiple Russian missiles struck a busy Ukrainian shopping centre, prompting terrified bystanders to run for their lives in a neighbouring park.
The brief video shows debris falling from the sky, peppering the lake similar to a hail storm. The shaking ground strips leaves from trees as a plume of smoke casts a shadow over the park and lake in Kremenchuk on Monday (local time).
Stunned civilians fall to the floor and shield themselves as another strike briefly lights the park up orange.
One man can be seen running for cover, scaling a fence and jumping into the lake.
The location of the video was verified by the nearby buildings and roads which matched satellite and file imagery of the park, Reuters reported.
A day after the attack in which at least 18 people were killed, the city of Kremenchuk in central Ukraine declared a day of mourning and fire fighters cleared away rubble.
Russia said the incident was caused by a strike on a legitimate military target. Its defense ministry, quoted by the RIA state news agency, said Russian forces had fired missiles at a storage depot for Western weapons in Kremenchuk, and the detonation of stored ammunition there had caused the fire at the nearby mall.
Russia denies intentionally targeting civilians in its "special military operation" in Ukraine which has destroyed cities, killed thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the attack was "deplorable" while leaders of the Group of Seven major democracies, gathered for their annual summit in Germany, condemned what they called an "abominable" attack.
Ukrainian MP Roman Hryshchuk labelled the strike a "terrorist attack".
With Reuters
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
