Russia Launches Scores of Drones on Kyiv, Other Ukrainian Regions

 In this image taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, Russian 120mm mortar crew change a position after firing toward Ukrainian position at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this image taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, Russian 120mm mortar crew change a position after firing toward Ukrainian position at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
TT

Russia Launches Scores of Drones on Kyiv, Other Ukrainian Regions

 In this image taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, Russian 120mm mortar crew change a position after firing toward Ukrainian position at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this image taken from video distributed by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024, Russian 120mm mortar crew change a position after firing toward Ukrainian position at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

Russia launched a series of drone and missile attacks overnight targeting Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, igniting a fire at an industrial facility in the western Ukrainian region of Ternopil, Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday.

By 0440 GMT, Russia launched some 136 attack drones targeting Ukraine and three missiles, with Ukraine's air defense destroying 51 of the drones, Ukraine's air force said on the Telegram messaging app.

Twenty of the drones were still in Ukrainian skies while 60 were unaccounted for, possibly intercepted by Ukraine's warfare, the air force said.

Most of Ukraine was under air raid alerts Wednesday morning, with the Kyiv region remaining under alert since 1730 GMT on Tuesday, according to military data. The air force said Russia was launching drones in several waves and in different directions.

The 51 drones were destroyed over 14 Ukrainian regions, including the Kyiv region.

It was not clear what happened to the three missiles.

The "large-scale fire" in the Ternopil region has since extinguished, but it involved 46 fire fighters and 12 units of special equipment to put it out, the military administration of the region said on the Telegram messaging app.

"There were no injuries," the administration added.

It was not immediately clear what facility was on fire.

All drones targeting Kyiv earlier in the night were destroyed and there were no reports of damage or injuries, but there was fresh risk of attacks, Serhiy Popko, head of Kyiv's military administration said on Telegram.



At Least 90 People Killed and 50 Injured after a Gasoline Tanker Explodes in Nigeria

A view shows part of Dangote oil refinery in Ibeju Lekki district, on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. (Reuters)
A view shows part of Dangote oil refinery in Ibeju Lekki district, on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. (Reuters)
TT

At Least 90 People Killed and 50 Injured after a Gasoline Tanker Explodes in Nigeria

A view shows part of Dangote oil refinery in Ibeju Lekki district, on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. (Reuters)
A view shows part of Dangote oil refinery in Ibeju Lekki district, on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria. (Reuters)

More than 90 people have been killed and 50 others injured after a gasoline tanker overturned in Nigeria and sparked an explosion as dozens of people rushed to the vehicle to scoop up the fuel, police said Wednesday.

The explosion occurred past midnight in Jigawa state's Majiya town after the tanker driver lost control of the vehicle while traveling on a highway close to a university, police spokesperson Lawan Adam said.

Deadly tanker accidents are common in Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, where traffic regulations are not strictly enforced in many places and there is a lack of alternatives such as an efficient railway system to transport cargo.

It is also common for people to salvage fuel after such accidents, especially with Nigeria's soaring fuel prices.

Residents who heard about the latest accident rushed to the scene and were scooping up fuel, “sparking a massive inferno that killed 94 people on the spot,” Adam said.

Videos that appeared to be from the scene showed a massive fire stretching across the entire area, with what appeared to be bodies littered at the scene.