MOSCOW, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of a New Year drone strike on a cafe and a hotel in the Kherson region rose to 27 on Friday, including two children, Russia's Investigative Committee announced.

"Twenty-seven people, including two children, were killed in this terrorist attack," said Svetlana Petrenko, the committee's spokesperson.

In the aftermath of the strike, 31 people, including five children, were hospitalized with injuries of varying severity, she added.

Vladimir Saldo, head of the Kherson region, said in a Telegram post that three Ukrainian drones struck the cafe and the hotel, where civilians were celebrating the New Year.

"Many people were burned alive," Saldo said, noting that one of the drones carried an incendiary mixture, which triggered a massive fire at the scene. Firefighters fully extinguish the blaze by early Thursday morning.

Fragments of several drones were recovered during an initial on-site inspection, Petrenko said, adding that more than 26 forensic examinations, including medical, genetic and explosive ordnance analyses, have been ordered. ■