House collapse in Belgorod: “the sirens sounded literally before the explosion”

Editorial “Layout” May 12, 2024 |

The Ministry of Defense talks about a Ukrainian missile, in Ukraine the tragedy is considered a provocation, and residents talk about closed bomb shelters

On the morning of May 12, after shelling in Belgorod, the entrance to a multi-storey residential building 55a on Shchorsa Street collapsed. According to the latest official data, the bodies of nine dead were found under the rubble, and at least 20 people were injured. Among them are rescuers who were clearing away the rubble when the roof collapsed.

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As of the evening of May 12, there may still be living people under the rubble; rescuers continue to clear away the rubble of the destroyed entrance, which contained 40 apartments. The evacuation of residents of other entrances has been completed.

What could have led to the destruction of the house in Belgorod?

On the morning of May 12, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, reported in his telegram channel that Belgorod and the Belgorod district were subjected to massive shelling from the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The Ministry of Defense clarifies that at about 11.40 the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an attack on Belgorod using Tochka-U missiles, Vilkha multiple launch rocket systems and RM-70 Vampire. According to the Ministry of Defense, the air defense shot down six Tochka-U missiles, four Vampire MLRS missiles and two Vilkha MLRS missiles. At the same time, fragments of one of the downed Tochka-U missiles damaged the house. The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case regarding the terrorist attack.

At the same time, the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) declares that the Ukrainian side is not involved in the tragedy. According to a representative of the National Security and Defense Council, a house in Belgorod was blown up. The Ukrainians explain that the video from surveillance cameras does not show falling objects, which in their opinion indicates that the house was blown up. The Ukrainian side calls the tragedy “a provocation by Russia to justify further attacks on residential buildings in Ukrainian cities.”

Let us remind you that earlier “Verstka” reported that the Russian army had launched an offensive in the Kharkov region . As of May 12, Russian troops occupied several border villages.

Residents of the destroyed entrance, despite the shock, are looking for their pets

“Verstka” managed to talk to several residents of the destroyed house. “I live in this house, in the corner entrance. “At 11:40 we arrived, the lights went out, there was a smell of gas, dust fell from above and the windows rattled. Before this, a notification came on the phone, a second later the siren turned on. I thought that there was an arrival at my entrance and immediately ran outside. And when I came out, I saw that there was simply no third entrance, there was smoke and people were screaming under the rubble. When the special services arrived, the volunteers were dispersed, and later the upper ceiling fell. Everyone understood that it was not safe to climb there on their own,” says Elena, a resident of the eighth entrance.

“I left home for work an hour before everything happened. I work nearby, there is a cat left in the apartment, I’m now looking for it. Surely the rescuers will come across them - they won’t know where to put them. Our entrance, there are no apartments at all. My neighbors don't answer their phones. From the floor above, the woman was reported missing. I started looking at the photos and immediately realized that this was my entrance, without even seeing the address. I understand that if I hadn’t left, then I would have… I still can’t imagine that I wouldn’t return home to my cat,” says Marina, another resident of the destroyed entrance.

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Also, one of the residents of the destroyed house, on condition of anonymity, confirmed that sirens warning of a missile danger sounded literally before the explosion itself. The woman said that immediately after the sirens turned on, she went to the bathroom and heard a crash, after which the walls shook.

It is unknown whether the shelter in the basement of the destroyed house was opened

According to Yandex maps, in the basement of a destroyed house in Belgorod there is a shelter in case of shelling. However, according to residents, the entrance to it could be closed. “The shelter was locked and locked. All the time. Some person who is never there has the key. Basement shelters in other houses are flooded. There is nowhere to hide. The only thing that works is the entrances with signs that say about the shelling, they are open. As it is, there are no shelters here,” local resident Artem, who lives in a neighboring residential building, told Vestka.

However, one of the residents of the destroyed house assures that the shelter in the basement is “always open,” with new benches, mattresses and water bottles.

However, as several residents of neighboring houses told Vorstka, that even if the shelters in the area are working, the local residents do not hide in them, since everyone is already accustomed to air raid signals.
Let us remember that earlier “Verstka” reported that the Ministry of Defense plans to recruit 300 thousand people for the attack on Kharkov . Reservists can be forcibly conscripted into the troops, conscripts can be “forced into contract,” and Russians who are in the reserves can also be mobilized.

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