Ukraine rescue workers' fears for hundreds buried in rubble of bombed theatre
19.03.2022 - 07:39
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
Fears were growing last night for more than 1,000 people thought still buried in the rubble of the Ukrainian theatre targeted by Russian bombs.
The rescue effort has been severely hampered as most of the port city of Mariupol’s emergency services have been destroyed and many of its doctors killed.
Just a few more survivors emerged from the ruins yesterday – one with serious injuries – following Wednesday’s attack.
As many as 1300 people, mostly women and children, are thought to have been in the basement sheltering from raids, and only around 130 have been able to get out so far.
Local politician Serhiy Taruta warned that hundreds of potential survivors will die instead, simply because there is nobody in the besieged city to pull them out.
He said: “No one understands. Services that are supposed to help have been demolished, rescue and utility services are destroyed.
“A lot of doctors have been killed. This means that survivors will either die under the ruins of the theatre, or have already died.”
Human rights official Lyudmyla Denisova said there was still no information on those thought to be in the building.
Yesterday Russian troops renewed assaults on Ukraine’s cities, shelling residential buildings and infrastructure.
Mariupol is now believed to be 90 per cent destroyed. Some of its residents have resorted to escaping the blockade on foot as official evacuation efforts have mostly failed due to the shelling.
In all, 9145 people were evacuated from cities through agreed humanitarian corridors yesterday.
President Vladimir Putin’s military launched 6am strikes as far west as Lviv, just 40 miles from the Polish border.
Four strikes from cruise missiles from the Black Sea hit an aviation repair complex near Lviv