RUSSIA launched a barrage of airstrikes at a hotel in eastern Ukraine injuring two journalists with one still missing.
A search has been launched for the missing Reuters reporter with officials confirming the three are British, American and Ukrainian.
Ukrainian emergency services conduct a search and rescue operation in the rubble of the destroyed hotel
Ukrainian firefighters at the scene
Rescue workers dig through the rubble
The news agency confirmed that the Hotel Sapphire, where a six-person Reuters crew was staying, was hit “by an apparent missile strike” on Saturday.
They said: “One of our colleagues is unaccounted for, while another two have been taken to hospital for treatment.”
Vadym Filashkin, head of the Donetsk regional government, said that a Russian strike hit overnight in Kramatorsk.
He said: “A hotel was targeted in the city — two people are currently known to be wounded, and one person is under the rubble.
“All three victims are journalists, citizens of Ukraine, the US and the UK.
“In addition to the hotel, a nearby high-rise building was also damaged.
“Authorities, police and rescuers are working at the scene. The rubble is being cleared and rescue operations are underway.”
Reuters added: “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.”
Kramatorsk is the last major city in the Donbas which is still under Ukrainian control.
It is about 13 miles from the war’s front line.
The city had about 150,000 people before Russia’s February 2022 invasion, but it has been the target of repeated attacks since.
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