Ukraine says civilians unable to leave Mariupol amid Russian attacks

KYIV, Ukraine

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said Tuesday that more than 100,000 civilians are stranded in the besieged city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine.

Civilians want to escape but could not because of the lack of safe humanitarian corridors out of the port city, Iryna Vereshchuk told a local television station.

Vereshchuk said residents had to walk for miles to reach the southeastern city of Zaporizhia.

She said shelling by Russian forces was also preventing rescue workers from accessing the site of a bombed theatre in Mariupol where authorities say hundreds were believed to be seeking shelter when it was hit by an airstrike last week.

More than 1,000 people, including women and children, were hiding in the building during the attack Wednesday, the Mariupol City Council said on Telegram.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which began on Feb. 24, has met international outrage with the EU, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 925 civilians have been killed during the war and nearly 1,500 injured, according to the UN's tally.

The international body warns, however, that the true toll is "considerably higher."

More than 3.5 million people have fled Ukraine amid Russian attacks, according to the UN refugee agency.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.