Ukrainian Tochka-U rocket shot down over Donetsk: 20 killed

Twenty people were killed when fragments of the rocket fired from Tochka-U tactical missile system crashed in Donetsk, representatives of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) said.

Originally, it was reported that the number of victims was smaller — three killed and 10 inured.

Civilians were killed in their cars, in the streets, in passenger buses.

Earlier, the head of Donetsk, Aleksei Kulemzin, said that a Tochka-U rocket fired by the Armed Forces of Ukraine was shot down near the House of the Government.

Eyewitnesses said that they heard a powerful explosion in the center of Donetsk, reminiscent of an artillery shell hit. The streets around were covered with smoke afterwards.

The rocket itself was shot down, but the crash of its fragments led to horrendous consequences.

"The worst thing is the death of the civilian population: 20 were killed, according to preliminary data, and nine were wounded. If it had flown to its destination and worked, the destruction range would have been 500 meters — nothing alive would have been left at all," the head of the DPR said.

The downed Tochka-U was a cassette type rocket, the official added.

People's Militia of the DPR says that the Tochka-U attack on Donetsk was a terrorist act. The Ukrainian troops used the rocket to commit an act of genocide against civilians, militia representatives said.

UPDATE: The number of victims has increased to 23, including one child.