Calls for end to Mariupol fighting to let civilians escape

More now on the shattered city of Mariupol

The United Nations and Red Cross have both called for an immediate end to fighting, so that people have a chance to escape the southern port city, Qazet.az reports.

"The longer we wait, the more lives will be at risk", said the UN's Ukraine crisis coordinator Amin Awad, according to a statement quoted by the AFP news agency.

100,000 people are estimated to be stuck in the city, which has almost totally succumbed to Russian control.

In its own statement, the Red Cross said it was "deeply alarmed" at what was happening in Mariupol, demanding immediate access to civilians there.

A fresh attempt is today being made to run a humanitarian corridor out of Mariupol. We await news on whether things are working as hoped, or whether the effort has again failed.