In the Belgorod region, a Ukrainian drone fell on a residential building, its fragments damaged several more houses and cars. The incident was reported by the governor of the region Vyacheslav Gladkov.

Three people were killed, including a four-year-old girl, Amina. Two more - the parents of the deceased Amina - are in hospital in serious condition, doctors are fighting for their lives.

A Ukrainian drone attack on Belgorod occurred on the night of October 12, the UAV crashed directly into a residential building on Orlov Street. A local resident, Inna, who lives two houses away from the destroyed building, told RT that after the UAV fell on a private house, a fire broke out there. According to her, locals heard two explosions that night.

"It was 23:50 p.m. At first I heard a sound like a moped buzzing. I could hear something flying somewhere nearby. I heard one "bang", I got up to wake up my husband, and at that time there was a very strong bang, apparently when [the UAV] had already fallen. I was thrown against the wall. It wasn't just that the house was shaking, the whole ground was shaking there," Inna recalls.

The RT interlocutor heard screams from the street, and when she ran out of the house, she saw smoke. Eyewitnesses shouted that they needed the help of men to pull people out from under the rubble. It was feared that the gas heater would catch fire and another explosion would occur.

"Seconds counted. The neighbors, thank God, turned out to be very friendly - in just ten minutes a hundred people from all over the neighborhood gathered. Everyone helped to get people," says an eyewitness to the tragedy. "Then someone shouted for everyone to run away, because there was a fire and it became clear that there could be an explosion. But no one left – people knew that there was a child under the rubble. Mom and Dad were rescued alive by the neighbors, but grandparents stayed there."

Rescuers of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, who arrived at the scene, retrieved the bodies of three victims from under the rubble. According to local resident Inna, meanwhile, gas caught fire in the first house that was damaged, and the flames spread to a neighboring house.

"The house that was hit by the drone is in ruins, there is nothing left. The second building that caught fire was also not saved. It was scary: all the houses were standing one after another, the wind — the flames could spread to all the houses around," says Inna.

"We are shocked by what happened"

Baby Amina, who died on the night of October 12, was still in kindergarten. Her family is from academia. The child's mother, Olesya Igorevna, is a Candidate of Philological Sciences, Deputy Head of the Department of the Preparatory Faculty for Foreign Citizens at BSTU named after Shukhov. The university, where she worked, commented on the tragedy and expressed grief over the death of the teacher's family members.

"We are shocked by what happened. No words can express the pain, bitterness, sorrow and sympathy experienced by the staff and students of BSTU named after Shukhov. The university is monitoring the health of the victims and is ready to provide all possible assistance," the university said in a post on its official Telegram channel.

Olesya Igorevna's colleague, Head of the Department of Russian Language and Natural Sciences, BSTU named after Shukhov, Elena Legochkina, in an interview with RT, stressed that the entire teaching staff hopes for a speedy recovery of Olesya Igorevna.

"We are ready to provide any possible assistance: donate blood, find medicines. What do I need to do? Do not allow more such cases for civilians to die," the RT interlocutor summed up.

  • Khaybar and Olesya's House
  • RT

The father of the deceased girl, Khaybar Akifi, is in intensive care.

Khaybar is an Afghan who has been living in Russia for the past ten years. He works as a producer for Sputnik Afghanistan. Recently, the man took several days off to visit his family in Belgorod.

Khaybar's father and grandfather of the deceased girl, Shahsultan Akifi, worked as a cultural attaché at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Russia. The grandfather of the deceased girl told RT that he is now in Moscow. In the morning, he received a call with terrible news.

"I was told what had happened, that everyone was in the hospital: my son, his wife. Doctors say that everyone is in moderate and serious condition, unfortunately. My wife and I are now going by car to Belgorod. My granddaughter died," Shahsultan Akifi said.

Survivors' Condition

Shakhsultan Akifi's friend, Nur, is now in Belgorod near Olesya and Khaybar. He told RT about the condition of the victims.

"Olesya is more or less, she is in the second city hospital, and Khaybar is in the regional center, I went to him - the condition is not very good. Doctors say that there are a lot of fractures, while in intensive care, in a coma, burns of the respiratory system. Olesya is conscious, everything is more or less fine with her: there are a few fractures, but not too bad," the source told RT.

In connection with the tragedy, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, canceled a number of events in the city. He also assured that assistance would be provided to the families of the victims.

"We are all worried, we all offer our condolences to the relatives of the victims. We will never be able to find words of consolation here, but we will try to help. We will definitely solve all the problems that you, relatives and friends will have, who are now left without their loved ones. We are all grieving, we are with you," the governor of the region concluded.