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 "By 7 p.m. last night we retrieved 15 bodies ... The search
continued into the night and is continuing today," the spokesman,
Andriy Lysenko, told Reuters.
The attack occurred near the city of Luhansk, close to the border
with Russia, in an area where there had been intense artillery
exchanges between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.
The Kiev military blamed the attack on the rebels, but they have
denied responsibility. At least one rebel leader suggested no attack
had occurred.
The military said on Monday that many of those killed, who included
women and children, had been burned beyond recognition. Many bodies
had been blown apart by the blast.
 The U.S. State Department condemned the attack on the convoy, which
was near an area of heavy fighting between Khryashchuvatye and
Novosvitlivka, but said it could not confirm who was responsible.
"We strongly condemn the shelling and rocketing of a convoy that was
bearing internally displaced persons in Luhansk ... Sadly, they were
trying to get away from the fighting and instead became victims of
it," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told a news briefing in
Washington.
[to top of second column] |
Ukrainian government forces have been fighting separatists for four
months in the Russian-speaking east of Ukraine. The rebels have set
up 'people's republics' and said they want to join Russia.
Ukraine says Russia, which seized the Crimean peninsula in March
after a pro-Western government took power in Kiev, has orchestrated
the uprisings and is arming the rebels with tanks, missiles and
other heavy weaponry. Moscow denies this.
(Reporting by Natalia Zinets; Writing By Richard Balmforth; Editing
by Larry King)
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