AT least three holidaymakers have been killed in a horror double explosion after sea mines washed into popular tourist beaches in southern Ukraine.
The blasts tore through the Black Sea resort area of Zatoka at around 11.30am on Sunday, sending shockwaves through crowds of sunseekers.
Local outlet Dumskaya reports the victims – a woman and two men – were swimming when two explosive devices detonated around 50 metres from the shore.
Odesa regional chief Oleh Kiper confirmed: “All of them have been killed by explosive devices while swimming in areas prohibited for recreation.”
Police said one man died in Karolino-Buhaz, while the other man and woman were killed in Zatoka.
Both locations are part of the Karolino-Buhaz community in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi district, where swimming has been prohibited due to the risk of mines drifting from the warfront.
Footage from the scene shows dozens of shocked beachgoers lined up along the sand after the blasts, with barely anyone left in the water.
Investigators, bomb disposal experts, and rescue crews are now combing the shoreline for more devices.
Authorities have launched a criminal case under Article 115 of Ukraine’s penal code, marking it as an “accident” pending further findings.
Despite continuous alerts, only two swimming spots in the Odesa region remain officially accessible—the central city beach in Chornomorsk and one in Primorske, Izmail district.
The tragedy comes just two months after two men were killed by a mine in Zatoka on June 7.
Grim byproduct of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been turning the Black Sea into a floating minefield.
Since 2022, both Ukrainian and Russian forces have laid sea mines to defend ports, block naval routes, and deter enemy landings.
However, storms, strong currents, and shifting tides have caused many mines to detach, traveling miles before reaching unsuspecting beaches.
Odesa’s coastline, once a thriving tourist destination in Ukraine, has been particularly affected, as mines near critical shipping routes often end up in the shallow waters where people swim.
Meanwhile, Russia is allegedly running a grotesque online “slave catalogue” of abducted Ukrainian children in occupied territory.
The profiles can be searched by hair colour, eye colour and even “personality” in the latest twisted move by Mad Vlad Putin’s regime.
According to the NGO Save Ukraine, it features almost 300 children labelled as “orphans” or “left without parental care”.
However, campaigners claim many children have been forcibly removed from their families, re-registered with Russian documents, and are now being paired with Russian families as if they were pets.
According to The Times, the disturbing search tool allegedly allows users to sort children by age, gender, health, and physical characteristics—even by attributes like “calm” or “active”.
