Safe passage operation underway in Mariupol, Ukraine

“A safe passage operation to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal steel plant is ongoing today, Sunday 1 May. The efforts are coordinated by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, in coordination with the parties to the conflict.

It was agreed with both parties to the conflict that civilians who had been stranded for nearly two months in Azovstal – women, children and the elderly – will be evacuated to Zaporizka where they will receive immediate humanitarian support, including psychological services.

The operation started on Friday 29 April with a joint UN/ICRC convoy travelling some 230 kilometres from Zaporizka to reach the plant in Mariupol on Saturday morning, local time.

As the operations are still ongoing, we will not provide further details at this point, to guarantee the safety of the civilians and humanitarians in the convoy.

The UN will also continue to push for the safe passage out of Mariupol city for all those civilians who wish to leave. The UN is engaging actively with parties to advance these efforts.”
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