Fragments of Tochka-U missile crash down on apartment building in Belgorod

A section of an apartment block in Belgorod collapsed as a result of an attack conducted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

It was at first reported that a whole section of a ten-storeyed apartment building collapsed after a Ukrainian missile hit the building directly.

Air sirens in Belgorod were alarmed five times in the morning of May 12.

Up to 30 people may remain under the rubble.

The moment of the attack was captured on video. The footage shows a shell hitting the building causing all floors of the section to collapse.

Rescuers continue the operation to recover those who may still be buried under the rubble of the building.

One child and a baby are believed to be among the victims. There is no official data about the victims yet.

During the rescue operation, a part of the roof of the building collapsed, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reported. It is believed that the roof collapsed on the rescuers as they were working on the scene.

The Russian Defence Ministry reported later that it was not a missile, but a fragment of a downed Tochka-U missile that crashed on the building. The missile debris crashed on the residential building at a time, when the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to attack residential areas of Belgorod. They used Tochka-U, Vilkha MLRS and RM-70 Vampire systems for the attack.

"While repelling the attack, Russian air defence systems intercepted six Tochka-U missiles, four Vampire MLRS missiles and two Vilkha MLRS missiles. Fragments of one of the downed Tochka-U missiles damaged a residential building in the city of Belgorod," the ministry said in a statement.

According to most recent reports, 12 people, including two children, have been retrieved from under the rubble of the building.