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Greeks killed by mortar in Ukraine

Citizens of Greek origin were among the victims of a mortar attack yesterday, at the village of Sartana, located ten kilometers south-east of Mariupol in the Ukraine.

According to "Kathimerini" newspaper, the attack occurred at about 1pm yesteday, when at least four mortars or Grant rocket systems hit the village. One of the rockets hit a procession of people heading towards the cemetery for a funeral. Seven people were killed and at least 15 injured, some of them seriously.

The Sartana is a town of 11,000 inhabitants, of whom about 70% are Greeks. The Greek Consul in Mariupol Mr. Dimitris Papandreou had left this specific area few minutes before the attack.

"I decided to see the situation for myself. I went to visit the military outposts and met with the Greeks in this region. Less than one quarter before the mortar hit the area, I was found in the same spot. I was not hit from pure luck or rather by pure intuition, since I decided to leave early. It was terrible. The earth trembled by the explosion, Papandreou stated at the same newspaper.