Some Evacuated in Mariupol but Several Hundred Civilians Still Trapped

A long-awaited evacuation of civilians began from a besieged steel plant in the Ukraine city of Mariupol, but several hundred civilians are still trapped, Associated Press reports.

An operation to evacuate people from the Azovstal plant began, with 100 expected to arrive in the city of Zaporizhzhia later. Before the evacuation began, about 1,000 civilians and 2,000 fighters were believed to be in bunkers and tunnels underneath the complex. 

About 100,000 people are still trapped in Mariupol. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that more than 100 civilians, primarily women, and children, were being evacuated through the vitally needed humanitarian corridor. 

The Mariupol City Council said that the evacuation of civilians from other parts of the city would begin today. 

Getting out of besieged cities, such as Mariupol, has been extremely difficult, if not impossible. Mariupol has been one of the most devastated cities in Ukraine. As many as 100,000 people may still be in blockaded Mariupol, including the 1,000 civilians and 2,000 fighters hunkered beneath the steel plant. It is the only part of the city that is not occupied by Russians now. 

U.N. humanitarian spokesman Saviano Abreu said that civilians have been stranded for nearly two months at the plant, and would receive immediate humanitarian support when they arrived in Zaporizhzhia, including psychological services. 

Mariupol has seen some of the absolute worst sufferings in Ukraine. 

Humanitarian corridors pre-agreed with Moscow since the beginning of Russia’s invasion have now helped about 350,000 people be evacuated from combat zones. 

The news comes as U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Zelensky to show unflinching U.S. support for the country’s defense against Russia’s invasion. 

Pelosi and other lawmakers visited Kyiv, making Pelosi the most senior American lawmaker to travel to Ukraine since the invasion began on February 24. It came just after Russia launched rockets at Kyiv while U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was visiting.