KYIV, Ukraine/ANKARA

At least 50 people were killed on Friday in a Russian attack on a railway station in Kramatorsk city in eastern Ukraine, authorities said.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk regional military administration, said on Telegram the death toll also included five children.

"We now have such a large number of victims as a result of a Tochka-U missile strike by Russian occupation troops on the Kramatorsk railway station. So far, 98 people have been hospitalized. We expect other victims to seek medical help within a day or two, so the number of victims will be constantly changing," he said.

Kyrylenko also said among the injured were 16 children and 46 women.

Earlier, Artem Dekhtyarenko, spokesman for the Security Service of Ukraine, said 39 people were killed in the attack, including four children.

2 rockets struck Kramatorsk railway station, says Ukraine

Two rockets hit the railway station in Kramatorsk, a city in the eastern Donetsk region, where scores of people were waiting to be evacuated to safer areas, according to Ukrainian Railways.

Images shared by the authority on Telegram showed bodies and blood on the ground, with suitcases and other luggage strewn all around.

Kramatorsk Mayor Alexander Goncharenko said that most injured were in serious condition and some lost their arms and legs.

There were almost 4,000 civilians at the station at the time of the attack, according to the mayor.

Earlier, Ukrainian Railways said more than 100 were injured in the Russian attack.

Pavel Kirilenko, governor of Donetsk, said Russian forces hit the railway station with an Iskander missile containing cluster munitions.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as "evil with no limits."

"Lacking the strength and courage to stand up to us on the battlefield, they are cynically destroying the civilian population. This is an evil that has no limits. And if it is not punished, it will never stop," Zelenskyy said in a social media statement.

He also said the Russian forces had hit the station with Tochka-U missiles.

Russia, however, claimed that all photos published by Ukraine regarding the Tochka-U missile launchers were "non-Russian missile systems."

"Tochka-U tactical missiles whose wreckage was found near Kramatorsk railway station are used only by the Ukrainian Armed Forces," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

'Horrifying' Russian strike

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the attack.

"I strongly condemn this morning's indiscriminate attack against a train station in Kramatorsk by Russia, which killed dozens of people and left many more wounded. This is yet another attempt to close escape routes for those fleeing this unjustified war and cause human suffering," he said on Twitter.

Also, European Council President Charles Michel said it was "horrifying to see Russia strike one of the main stations used by civilians evacuating the region where Russia is stepping up its attack."

He urged: "Action is needed: more sanctions on Russia and more weapons to Ukraine are under way from the EU. 5th package of EU sanctions just approved."

At least 1,626 civilians have been killed and 2,267 injured in Ukraine since the war began on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.3 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency. Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.