Around 100 civilians evacuated from Mariupol steel plant: Zelensky

A preliminary institution of around a hundred civilians has been evacuated from the besieged Azovstal metal plant in the southern port town of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated Sunday.

“Evacuation of civilians from Azovstal began. The 1st group of about 100 people is already heading to the controlled area. Tomorrow we’ll meet them in Zaporizhzhia,” he tweeted, referring to a city 220 kilometers (130 miles) to the northwest.

“Now they, together with #UN, are working on the evacuation of other civilians from the plant,” he said.

Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations had confirmed that a “safe passage operation is ongoing” at Azovstal which was being coordinated by the Red Cross and Russian and Ukrainian forces.

There were no further details due to safety concerns.

The vast Azovstal iron and steelworks is the last hold-out of Ukrainian forces in the devastated port city of Mariupol after a weeks-long onslaught by the Russian military.

Several hundred Ukrainian infantrymen and civilians are sheltering inside the maze of Soviet-technology underground tunnels beneath the steelworks, many of whom require medical attention.

Stretching over 11 square kilometers (4.2 square miles), the complex is a sprawling warren of rail strains, warehouses, coal furnaces, factories, chimneys, and tunnels seen as ideal for guerrilla struggle.