Russia just bombed a Ukrainian aid point and the death toll keeps climbing

Russia just bombed a Ukrainian village and the death toll keeps climbing.

The number is now 53.

Mykhailo Semikin runs the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration. He gave that figure a few hours ago.

And it might still go up.

Search teams are in their fifth day of digging through the wreckage in Komyshuvakha, in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region.

But here's the thing. The number isn't settled.

Ukraine's State Emergency Service and National Police say 50 people are confirmed dead, not 53. Different Ukrainian agencies, different counts, same day. Reports on the strike say the two figures are still being reconciled.

So what actually happened?

Four days ago, Russian forces hit Komyshuvakha with at least nine aerial bombs. Some were FAB-500 guided bombs. One was a FAB-3000 — a three-tonne bomb packed with almost one and a half tonnes of explosives.

The bombs hit a school. The school was being used to hand out humanitarian aid.

People were there collecting supplies when the first bombs landed.

Then it got worse. A second wave of bombs hit the underground shelter where people had run for cover. That's called a double-tap strike. You hit the place once, wait for the rescuers and the survivors to gather, then hit it again.

Four police officers and two rescue workers are among the dead. They were killed trying to help.

Komyshuvakha sits about 17 kilometres from the nearest Russian positions. The school had already stopped holding classes because it was so close to the front line. But once a week, it still opened as an aid point.

Seven people that relatives had reported missing have now been found, Ukrainian authorities say.