Ukraine says at least 5,000 people have died in ‘catastrophic’ humanitarian crisis in Mariupol

Spokesperson for mayor Boichenko says nearly 210 children have died since Russian invasion

Officials in Ukraine said at least 5,000 people have died in the “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis unleashed by Russian forces in the southern port city of Mariupol.

A spokesperson for mayor Vadym Boichenko said nearly 5,000 people, including 210 children, had died since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February.

The mayor’s office, however, did not clarify how the figures had been calculated, reported Reuters.

Mariupol has witnessed some of the fiercest fighting since the Russian invasion began last month.

Mr Boichenko, who is no longer in Mariupol, said on national television on Monday that about 160,000 civilians were still trapped in the city.

His office said around 140,000 people had fled the city before the invasion began, while another 150,000 had left since.

The mayor’s office added that 90 per cent of the city’s buildings had been damaged in the fighting.

It added that 40 per cent of the city’s buildings, including hospitals, schools, kindergartens and factories, had been completely destroyed.

This map shows the extent of the Russian invasion of Ukraine as of 25 March (Press Association Images)

“The situation in the city remains difficult. People are beyond the line of humanitarian catastrophe,” Mr Boichenko said.

“We need to completely evacuate Mariupol.”

The strategic city has been under siege since 1 March and has faced continuous bombardment from Russian forces.

There have been several reports of residents running out of basic supplies like food, water and power.

On Friday, the UN said there was mounting evidence of mass graves in the besieged city, seen as a strategic asset for Russian troops as it could create a bridge between Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, and two separatist enclaves in eastern Ukraine.

Last week, around 300 people were killed by an airstrike at a theatre that was being used as a shelter by civilians, according to Ukrainian authorities, marking what could be the war’s deadliest known attack on civilians yet.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said on Monday that the agency was seeking a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine.

He added that the UN’s aid chief Martin Griffiths will soon head to Moscow and Kyiv to try to secure a truce.

Meanwhile, officials in Kyiv said Russian attacks left more than 80,000 homes without power near the capital.

“To capture Kyiv is essentially a captured Ukraine, and this is their goal,” Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Ganna Malyar said in a statement cited by AFP.

She added that Russian forces were “trying to break through the corridor around Kyiv and block transport routes”.

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