MOSCOW, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from a Ukrainian attack on a college dormitory in Starobelsk in the Luhansk region has risen to 18, the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations said on Saturday.

Another 42 people were injured, while three more remain trapped under the rubble, the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry said on Friday that a large-scale overnight drone assault hit the campus of Starobelsk College, affiliated with Luhansk Pedagogical University, causing the collapse of the student dormitory building.

Eighty-six students aged 14 to 18, along with one staff member, were inside the building at the time of the strike, said local health authorities.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that the attack was "not an accident," claiming that "there are no military facilities, security service sites or related agencies near the dormitory."

Ukraine's General Staff denied targeting civilian infrastructure, saying its forces strike only military facilities and objects used for military purposes in accordance with international humanitarian law.