UPDATE - Car Bomb Blast Injures 2 In Zaporizhzhia's Melitopol - Official

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2023) Two people were taken to a hospital after a car bomb exploded in the city of Melitopol in Zaporizhzhia region, a regional councilor said Tuesday.

"A man and a woman have been injured, according to a situation update. They have been hospitalized," Vladimir Rogov said on social media.

The Toyota Land Cruiser Prado was parked near a market when the improvised explosive device went off, Rogov said. The energy released by the blast was equivalent to 1 kilogram (2.2 Pounds) of TNT.

The official blamed the "terrorist" explosion on the Ukrainian government, which, he said, hopes to "destabilize the region and disrupt its peaceful life.

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The preliminary investigation identified the car's owner as Ivan Tkach, who runs a local transport company. Rogov said the Ukrainian government had labeled the businessman as a traitor for "collaborating with Russia."

Local authorities updated the toll of casualties later in the day, saying that a total of three people had been injured, including a child.

"The owner of the car that exploded today in the center of Melitopol, Ivan Tkach, died in hospital from his injuries," the Melitopol administration said on Telegram.