(Reuters) – A member of the Reuters team covering the war in Ukraine was missing and two others were hospitalised after a strike on a hotel in the eastern Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.
In a statement, the news agency said that the Hotel Sapphire, where a six-person Reuters crew was staying, was hit “by an apparent missile strike” on Saturday.
“One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to hospital for treatment,” the agency said.
“Three other colleagues have been accounted for. We are urgently seeking more information, working with the authorities in Kramatorsk, and supporting our colleagues and their families. We will give an update when we have more information,” it added.
Vadym Filashkin, governor of Donetsk region, said in a post on Telegram on Sunday morning that “the Russians hit Kramatorsk”, and that two journalists were injured, while one was missing after a strike on a hotel.
“Authorities, police and rescuers are working on the spot. Debris clearance and rescue operations are ongoing,” he said.
The Russian Defence Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ukraine’s General Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement on Telegram that it had opened a “pre-trial investigation” into the strike, which it said happened at 10:35 p.m. local time (1935 GMT) on Saturday.
“Russian troops struck the city of Kramatorsk, probably with an Iskander-M missile,” it said.
(Reporting by Rachel Armstrong and Tom Balmforth; Editing by Frances Kerry)
