Ukraine crisis: 3 dead, 17 injured in Mariupol hospital attack

Three people, including a child, were killed and at least 17 were injured as a result of the Russian airstrike on a maternity hospital in the coastal city of Mariupol, reported local media citing Mariupol City Council.

"3 people, including child, killed as a result of the Russian airstrike on children's, maternity hospital in Mariupol. At least 17 people were injured, Mariupol City Council reported," tweeted The Kyiv Independent, a Ukrainian media outlet.

Earlier, the head of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Catherine Russell, had expressed her horror over the reported destruction of the hospital in Mariupol, which has been reportedly under heavy bombardment for days.

In a statement, the UNICEF chief said she was "horrified by the reported attack...an attack which reportedly left young children and women in labour, buried beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings. We do not yet know the number of casualties but fear the worst."

"This attack, if confirmed, underscores the horrific toll this war is exacting on Ukraine's children and families" she added. "In less than two weeks, at least 37 children have been killed and 50 injured, while more than one million children have fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries."

The development followed news alerts on Wednesday that a Russian strike on a children's hospital and maternity ward in the stricken city of Mariupol, had left children buried under the rubble, according to Ukrainian officials.

However, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy dismissed reports about an attack on a hospital in Mariupol as fake news, according to Sputnik.

( With inputs from ANI )

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