UN Secretary-General, António Guterres has called for an independent investigation into the killing of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, a suburb of the capital, Kyiv.
Images had emerged of bodies found in streets and in yards in the wake of Russian withdrawal from the area, following weeks of intense fighting, according to international media reports.
“I am deeply shocked by the images of civilians killed in Bucha, Ukraine.
“It is essential that an independent investigation leads to effective accountability,” Guterres said in a post on his official Twitter account.
Ms Osnat Lubrani, UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine, shared the statement on Twitter.
“Ukrainians are enduring a living hell for more than a month, thousands of civilians have died,” she wrote. “This horrific war needs to stop.”
The UN continued to press for an end to the war in Ukraine, which the Secretary-General had described as “unwinnable”.
Conflict began on Feb. 24, when Russia invaded the country. Since then, 3,455 civilian casualties had been recorded, according to the latest update from the UN human rights office, OHCHR, published on Sunday.
Of that number, 1,417 persons were killed, and 2,038 injured, though real figures were believed to be considerably higher.
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Most casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multiple launch rocket systems, missile and air strikes
