Evacuation of civilians from besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol to start again

By Meiramgul Kussainova

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) – After an aborted start, the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol will again begin evacuating civilians on Sunday using a humanitarian corridor, local officials said.

A cease-fire is in effect Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. (0800-1900GMT) to allow for evacuation, the governor’s office said.

The statement said the whole process will begin at 12 noon (1000GMT).

In cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), evacuations will be carried out from three points of the city by municipal buses, the statement said.

"Those who want to leave the city by private vehicle can follow the evacuation convoy from the back. We will ask the owners to fill their vehicles with as many people as possible,” the statement added.

On Saturday, Ukrainian officials announced that evacuations from the cities of Mariupol and Volnovaha were stopped due to a violation of the cease-fire by the Russian side.

At least 351 civilians, including 22 children and 41 women, have been killed and 707 others injured in Ukraine since Russia launched a war in the Eastern European country on Feb. 24, according to UN figures, with the real toll feared to be higher.

More than 1.5 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, the latest data by the UN refugee agency showed.

The Russian attacks have been met by an outcry from the international community, with the EU, Britain, and US, among others, implementing a range of economic sanctions against Moscow.

* Writing by Merve Berker