Russian drone attack on Odesa kills 10, including three children

The Odesa Regional Prosecutor's Office, the local newspaper "Dumska," Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, and the State Emergency Service reported the information.

A Russian-launched drone struck a 9-story residential building, causing extensive damage to 18 apartments.

As of 9:44 a.m. on March 3, the death toll under the building rubble reached 10. 

The Regional State Administration head reported a successful rescue operation, uncovering a child's body from the rubble.

The State Emergency Service confirmed the retrieval of a 3-year-old boy's body, identified as Tymofiy. The Odesa City Council shared that Tymofiy's mother remains trapped under the collapsed house, with ongoing rescue efforts.

Later, Kiper, during the United News telethon broadcast, revealed that 11 more individuals might be potentially trapped beneath the debris. Subsequently, the death toll rose to six, including a woman. Eight wounded, including a child, were reported, with five successfully rescued.

By 6:01 p.m., the police confirmed the recovery of the bodies of a mother and a three-month-old child, bringing the total casualties to seven. The rescue operation persists.

At 8:54 p.m., the State Emergency Service announced the discovery of an eighth victim, and efforts to retrieve the body continue.

On March 3 at 8:37 a.m., another update revealed the recovery of the ninth deceased person, a woman, at the Russian attack site. Simultaneously, the Regional State Administration head disclosed the discovery of another deceased infant next to the woman.

"Preliminarily, the child is not even a year old... Rescuers continue to dismantle the debris," he reported.

Children killed in the rubble: Mark, Yelyzaveta and Tymofiy

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the tragedy in Odesa and named three children who were killed in a Russian strike as of 2 p.m. on March 3.

"At this time, ten people are known to have died, including three children: Mark, who is not even three years old yet, Yelyzaveta, eight months old, and Tymofiy, four months old. Ukrainian children are Russia's military targets. That's who these inhumans are fighting. My condolences to all their families and friends," he wrote on Telegram.

The President emphasized that every Russian loss at the front is Ukraine's response to Russian terror. 

"The world must respond to every manifestation of Russian evil and repel Russia's actions. Every Russian terrorist act ignored by the world allows us to continue killing," Zelenskyy emphasized.

Mourning declared

Oleh Kiper declared a day of mourning in Odesa and the region to honor those lost in the Russian drone attack. Kiper expressed condolences to the grieving families.

The State Emergency Service revealed that a mother lost her life attempting to shield her 8-month-old child. 

“She tried to save the child. We discovered them in a protective embrace,” rescuers reported.