4 Apr 2022 11:53

Mariupol-Zaporizhzhya humanitarian corridor to operate on Mon, 2,694 evacuated on Sun - deputy PM

KYIV. Apr 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) - A humanitarian corridor between Mariupol and Zaporizhzhya will be available on Monday to ensure the evacuation of civilians, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk said at a press briefing.

"A humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhya will be working today. The route will be available for private vehicles," Vereshchuk said.

Fifteen evacuation buses have departed from Zaporizhzhya to Mariupol, she said. A delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is planning to continue its travel to Mariupol from Mangush together with seven buses.

"Today, we will also continue evacuation from Sievierodonetsk, Popasna, Lysychansk, Rubizhne and Nizhne in the Luhansk region," Vereshchuk said.

According to her posts on social media, 2,694 people were evacuated on Sunday. "A total of 469 Mariupol residents reached Zaporizhzhya from Mariupol and Berdyansk by private vehicles through humanitarian corridors. [...] A bus convoy has also managed to get through. Over 350 people came from Mariupol and Berdyansk. [...] Besides, we managed to evacuate 1,467 people from Lysychansk, Sievierodonetsk, Rubizne and Kremenna in the Luhansk region," Vereshchuk said on Telegram.

Ten buses evacuated 408 Mariupol residents from Berdyansk. "Seven buses accompanied by a delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross arrived in Mangush," she said.