Kyiv: Sixteen people, including two children and Ukraine’s interior minister, were killed when a helicopter crashed near a kindergarten outside the capital Kyiv, officials said Wednesday.
“In total, 16 people are currently known to have died,” the head of national police, Igor Klymenko, said. Among the dead are several top officials of the interior ministry including Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, he said.
In a video that circulated online from the aftermath of the incident, cries could be heard at the scene which was consumed by a fire.
The town of Brovary is located some 20 kilometres (12 miles) northeast of Kyiv.
Russian and Ukrainian forces fought for control of Brovary in the early stages of Moscow’s invasion until Russia’s troops withdrew in early April.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops to pro-Western Ukraine on February 24 last year.
