Russian strike on Epicenter in Kharkiv killed 19 people: search operations are over. Photo

The number of victims of the Russian strike on the Epicenter hypermarket in Kharkiv has risen to 19. On the morning of May 29, it was reported that one of the hospitalized had died.

The 40-year-old man was admitted to the hospital with 50% burns on his body, and doctors were unable to save him. This was reported by the head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov.

"Unfortunately, a 40-year-old man who was wounded in an enemy attack on Epicenter died in hospital. The man was in the burn intensive care unit and suffered flame burns of up to 50%. Our condolences to the family and friends," the statement said.

As of 18:01 on May 29, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that the search for the bodies in the Kharkiv construction hypermarket was completed. Police have identified all 19 bodies of those killed by Russian air strikes on Saturday, May 25.

"It was not easy. The victims were searched for around the clock among the ashes with the help of special equipment, and were quickly identified with the help of a DNA laboratory," said Klymenko.

He also added that forensic experts conducted more than 100 investigations. The police were approached by 16 relatives of the missing persons who provided biological samples for examination. Dog handlers were also involved – a sniffer dog found one body and one fragment.

The strikes on a regular hypermarket in Kharkiv killed 12 men and 7 women. Among the victims were a 17-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl. Another 54 people were wounded.

"The enemy is trying to justify the attacks on the hypermarket, printing house, and other civilian infrastructure with nonsense. Will this intimidate Kharkiv residents? It will only increase hatred. Will it force us to retreat? We will fight the enemy even harder. Until victory," Klymenko added.

In addition, Oleh Syniehubov, the head of the RMA, said that the rubble of the destroyed hypermarket has been cleared.

Eleven men, six women, and two children were killed as a result of the launch of guided aerial bombs. Innocent civilian victims of Russian aggression. Terrorist Russian shelling of the hypermarket," he wrote and expressed his condolences to the families and friends of the victims.

On the afternoon of Saturday, May 25, Russians attacked Kharkiv with anti-aircraft gunships. The invaders hit the Epicenter hypermarket, a fire broke out and people died.

More than 40 people were injured in the Epicenter alone, and the death toll by the evening of May 28 was 18.

Most of the victims were not immediately identified: due to the massive fire that covered thousands of square meters of space, this had to be done with the help of DNA tests.

Most of the victims were Epicenter employees, but there were also casualties among visitors. It is known that on that day, Russia killed a mother and her 12-year-old daughter in Kharkiv. The father of the family underwent surgery.

The West reacted to the terrorist attack on the Epicenter. The United States and Europe pledged to hold Russia accountable for its war crimes. And UN representatives in Ukraine called Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure "absolutely unacceptable."

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