Russian drone attacks community bus in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, killing 71-year-old woman – photos
Russian military personnel used a drone to attack a bus in the village of Bilenke, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on 29 October. There were 20 people on the bus at the time, which was operated by the Proliska Humanitarian Mission to help vulnerable people. One passenger, a 71-year-old woman, was killed in the strike, and the driver is in hospital in a serious condition.
Source: Yevhen Kaplin, head of the Proliska Humanitarian Mission, on Facebook and in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda
Quote: "Russian terrorists have struck a social bus belonging to the Proliska Humanitarian Mission while passengers were on board using an FPV drone in Bilenke, Zaporizhzhia Oblast. There are casualties."
Details: Kaplin clarified in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda that the attack occurred at around 14:50. There were 20 passengers on the bus. The strike hit the roof of the bus between the driver's seat and the passenger area.
A woman aged around 71 was killed instantly. The bus driver is in hospital in a serious condition.
Another passenger, a 79-year-old man, sustained multiple shrapnel wounds and was taken to hospital. Other passengers suffered acoustic barotrauma and shrapnel wounds.
Kaplin also noted that the bus was attacked by a so-called "loitering drone".
"The 'loitering drone' was waiting under nets to carry out its 'mission'," he said. "And the bus was clearly marked. Social vehicles provide transport for people living in frontline settlements, particularly those who need transport connections with other hromadas A hromada is an administrative unit designating a village, several villages, or a town, and their adjacent territories ."
Kaplin added that the bus was "the only means of transport from the settlement that residents, who are mostly elderly people, could use to go to buy groceries, collect their pensions, or visit a hospital or pharmacy".
Background: A 49-year-old man was killed and three others injured as a result of a strike on Bilenke on the morning of 29 October. Russian forces also attacked public transport in the city of Zaporizhzhia three times in one day.
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