Smoke rises from airstrike on Mariupol steel plant where 1,000 civilians reportedly sheltering

Footage released by Mariupol city council appears to show the aftermath of an airstrike on the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works plant, which was reportedly housing 1,000 civilians underground.

Smoke can be seen billowing into the air from the site after it was targeted by Russian rockets.

While the date of the video has not been verified, the city council said as recently as Monday that Vladimir Putin’s forces were dropping heavy bombs onto the Ukrainian-held factory.

“Mostly the [civilians] are women with children and old people,” the local authority wrote on Telegram.

Click here to sign up for our newsletters.