Fourteen persons including Ukraine’s Interior Minister and a child were killed when a helicopter crashed in fog near a nursery outside Kyiv on Wednesday.
The casualties included the three helicopter crew and six others on board. One child was killed on the ground and 11 other children were among 25 injured people when the French-made Super Puma helicopter crashed in a residential area in the suburb of Brovary on the capital’s eastern outskirts.
The agency had earlier reported a higher toll, which it revised down without explanation.
President Volodymyr Zelensky called the crash a terrible tragedy, saying the full casualty toll was still being determined and he had ordered an investigation.
Hours after the crash, the government named national police chief Ihor Klymenko as acting Interior Minister.
National police chief Ihor Klymenko confirmed that Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi was killed alongside his first deputy, Yevheniy Yenin, and other ministry officials flying in the helicopter operated by the state emergency service.
Cause not ascertained
Ukrainian officials said it was not immediately clear what had caused the helicopter to crash. There was no immediate comment from Russia, which invaded Ukraine last February, and Ukrainian officials made no reference to any Russian attack in the area at the time.
Separately, Ukraine reported intense fighting overnight in the east of the country.
Ukrainian forces repelled attacks in the eastern city of Bakhmut and the village of Klishchiivka just south of it, the Ukrainian military said. Russia has focused on Bakhmut in recent weeks, claiming last week to have taken the mining town of Soledar on its northern outskirts.
Western allies will be gathering on Friday at a U.S. air base in Germany to pledge more weapons for Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday Moscow saw no prospects of peace talks and there could be no negotiations with Mr. Zelensky.
