170 civilians evacuated from Azovstal and Mariupol zone - Red Cross
More than 170 civilians were evacuated from Azovstal and the Mariupol zone during the third safe exit operation.
According to Censor.NЕТ, with reference to Іnterfax-Ukraine, this was reported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
"After staying mostly underground for weeks with depleted supplies of food, water and medicine, more than 170 civilians arrived from Azovstal and Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia on Sunday during the third safe exit operation of the day coordinated by the International Committee of the Red Cross, parties of the conflict and the United Nations," the organization said in a press release issued Sunday evening.
The ICRC said it was relieved to be able "to evacuate more civilians from Azovstal and the Mariupol zone and move them to a safer place."
"The humanitarian convoy is a life-changing moment and a great relief for these people who have suffered the horrors of being near the fighting for many weeks. They have all endured so much suffering that no human being should have to go through," the organization's press service quotes Pascal Gundt, head of the ICRC delegation in Ukraine, as saying.
The ICRC also noted that the four-day operation began on May 5, during which, among others, 51 civilians were evacuated from Azovstal. It was preceded by two safe exit operations, during which more than 500 people were evacuated from Azovstal and the Mariupol zone on May 3 and 4 to Zaporizhzhya.
Since March, the ICRC has helped facilitate the safe exit of more than 10,000 civilians from Sumy and Mariupol to other locations in Ukraine.
