Ukraine Humanitarian Hub Strike Feared Among War’s Deadliest as Peace Talks Near

Search Continues Under Threat

Emergency workers continued looking for missing people on Tuesday, a day after the attack on a school distributing food and medicine. Officials said the danger of further Russian strikes forced rescuers to work in brief periods.

The final death toll may not be known for days. At least 31 people had been killed, and dozens were still unaccounted for.

A Severe Blow in Zaporizhzhia

The strike hit the village of Komyshuvakha in the southern Zaporizhzhia region. Ukrainian officials said Russian forces launched at least nine glide bombs, each carrying about 3,000 pounds of explosives.

The attack was the region’s deadliest against civilians during nearly five years of war and could be among the deadliest of the wider conflict. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the strike showed Russia intended to keep fighting.

Three Countries Plan Talks

Hours after Monday’s attack, U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said talks involving the United States, Russia and Ukraine would take place early next week in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The meeting would be the first involving all three countries since February.

Witkoff said discussions would cover security arrangements after the war and steps toward peace. Russia and Ukraine confirmed Tuesday that they would send negotiators.

Cease-Fire’s Limited Reach

The attack came after a rare local cease-fire in neighboring Kherson region ended a day earlier. The strike underscored how limited that truce was, even as diplomatic efforts were being restarted.