Russia-Ukraine war: Death toll from rocket attack on housing block in Donetsk region rises to 24

The death toll from a Russian rocket attack that hit an apartment block in eastern Ukraine over the weekend rose to 24 on Monday, as rescuers continued to comb through the rubble in search of survivors, the State Emergency Service said.

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Brick by brick, rescuers picked through a huge mound of rubble that remained of a collapsed five-storey block struck late on Saturday in the town of Chasiv Yar in Donetsk region.

A Reuters reporter on Monday saw rescuers lift a survivor from the ruins to a stretcher, and carry away the bodies of two people in white bags.

Nine people have been rescued so far, the State Emergency Service said.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine in what it calls a special military operation, denies targeting civilians.

Russia is expected to focus the brunt of its assault on eastern Ukraine in the region of Donetsk after claiming the capture of the neighbouring Luhansk region. Together, the regions make up the Donbas.