KIEV, Ukraine, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- The office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk was shelled Thursday. One employee was killed.
"We are deeply shocked by this tragic loss," said ICRC Director of Operations Dominik Stillhart. "We understand that there were other civilian casualties in Donetsk today. Indiscriminate shelling of residential areas is unacceptable and violates international humanitarian law."
The employee was identified as 38-year-old Swiss national Laurent DuPasquier. He worked for the ICRC for more than five years and had served in Egypt, Haiti, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea and Yemen prior to starting his assignment in Ukraine six weeks ago.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry expressed "deep regret" over DuPasquier's death and condemned the shelling by Russian-backed rebels. "This act of terrorism has no excuse. Bandits and terrorists in an inhuman way dared to take up arms against those who arrived in Donbas with a humanitarian mission -- to help people," the ministry said in its statement.
OSCE Chair Didier Burkhalter called on all parties to observe the ceasefire that was agreed to in Minsk on Sept. 5 and reaffirmed on Sept. 19
