Conflicts & War

Mariupol evacuation aborted for second day due to Russian shelling

(Update 1: changes headline, lede)

Mariupol, Ukraine, Mar 6 (EFE).- The evacuation Sunday of civilians from the southeastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol was interrupted due to a breach in a temporary ceasefire for the opening of humanitarian corridors, Ukrainian authorities said.

“The second attempt at a humanitarian corridor for civilians in Mariupol ended again with Russian shelling,” an adviser for the interior minister of Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko, said in a Telegram post.

The civilians were set to be evacuated in buses that would follow a planned evacuation route.

Sunday’s plan was the second attempt at an evacuation after the same plan on Saturday quickly fell apart due to renewed shelling along the evacuation route.

“Yesterday’s situation repeated itself today when troops opened fire without respecting the ceasefire.

“It is necessary to understand that due to the massacre of civilians by the occupying forces, there can be no guarantee of security of humanitarian corridors,” Gerashchenko said.

Mariupol, a strategic Ukrainian port city home to some 450,000 people, has been under siege by Russian troops for five days and has no water, power, or sanitation while food and water are starting to run out. EFE io/mp/smq

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