In Mariupol, Ukraine, rescue forces are still searching for hundreds of people trapped in the ruins of a bombed-out theater. In addition to the bombing, street fighting is already taking place in the city center.
In Ukraine, the situation in the port city of Mariupol continues to be difficult.
Rescue forces are still searching for hundreds of people trapped in the ruins of a bombed-out theater.
More than a thousand people who lost their homes were sheltered in the basement of the theater when Russia bombed the building on Wednesday. Russia denies bombing the building, which was clearly marked as a place of refuge for civilians.
The death toll is not yet known, says the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyi According to AFP. 130 people have been rescued from the ruins, some of whom have been badly injured.
– This is no longer Mariupol, this is hell. The streets are full of civilian bodies, a city dweller Tamara Kavunenko58, tells AFP.
Evacuation of civilians difficult
Mayor of Mariupol Vadym Boichenko tells the BBC that rescue work can only be carried out at times when warfare is calmer.
– There are tanks … and artillery fire, all kinds of guns are fired. Our forces are doing everything they can to keep our city under control, but the enemy forces are bigger than our forces, unfortunately, he says.
According to Boichenko, about 40,000 people have managed to escape the city in the last five days and 20,000 people are currently awaiting evacuation.
However, it is estimated that 300,000 people are still stuck in a city besieged by Russia without electricity, heating and running water.