Russian attack destroys ‘Harry Potter Castle’ in Ukraine and kills at least five people; look

At least five people were killed and 32 injured in a Russian missile attack on an educational institution in a popular seaside park in the Ukrainian Black Sea port city of Odessa on Monday.

Images from Reuters Television showed the ceiling of the ornate building, a private Law Academy, virtually destroyed after the attack. The building is known locally as “Harry Potter Castle” because of its resemblance to Hogwarts Castle depicted in the films. (See the video above).

Regional governor Oleh Kiper stated, on the Telegram messaging app, that, in addition to those killed in the attack, a man died after suffering a stroke attributed to the attack.

Kiper said eight of the injured were in serious condition, including a four-year-old child. Among the injured were another child and a pregnant woman.

An Academy student who gave her first name, Maria, said the fire was caused when the missile was intercepted. “Before my eyes, a missile was shot down, that was right in front of me. My doors opened and the glass was shaking. And then I saw this,” she told Reuterspointing to the burning building.

“Just before this happened, we wanted to go there for a walk, but thank God we weren’t there when it happened,” he added.

Ukrainian Navy spokesman Dmytro Pletenchuk, in a post on a military Telegram channel, said the attack was carried out by an Iskander-M ballistic missile with a cluster warhead.

The public broadcaster Suspilne reported that Academy President Serhiy Kivalov, a prominent former member of Parliament, was among those injured. Odessa has been a frequent target of Russian missile and drone attacks, especially port infrastructure. *With information from Reuters.

Source: Redação Terra