The Red Cross and UN mission are negotiating on securing the evacuation of hundreds of local people who are trapped in the Azovstal steel plant.

Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boichenko urged “all international partners to unite for one goal; to save the lives of the locals, to save the fortress and those locals who are now hiding in the Azovstal bomb shelters.”

He said, “The UN mission and Red Cross are negotiating. We are waiting for the results of these talks. We are waiting [to see] that we will get this corridor and save the lives of hundreds of our Mariupol residents.”

The Ukrainian officials had planned for the evacuation of people from the Azovstal plant.

But, they later said that the Russians obstructed their access to the plant.