Donetsk, Mar 13 – DAN. Twelve public utilities workers were killed while on duty since the war in Donbass broke out, 20 people were injured, said the first deputy minister of construction and utilities sector Vitaliy Kizhaev.

"Public utilities services face difficulties even during peaceful times, and now the volumes of their work have boosted. They risk their lives and heath while on duty. Twelve utilities workers were killed and 20 wounded during the war," he said.

Utilities workers very often risk their lives, Kizhaev said, citing Donetsk water treatment plant (DFS) as an example, which has been the area of most intense fighting on the contact line.

"About 40 people work in every shift on DFS. They spent half the day in their workplaces and another half in bomb shelters. There can be no pauses in the plant's operation as Donetsk and its neighborhood depends on the DFS water."

The minister said that the memory of fallen utility workers will be commemorated by a memorial plaque to be unveiled on the eve of the Utilities Workers Day, March 19.*ot