Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Lyudmyla Denisova, said 130 people had been rescued so far from the rubble of a theatre in the devastated city of Mariupol that was hit by a Russian airstrike on Wednesday.
In a televised address, Denisova said rescue work was ongoing at the site. Yesterday, the former Donetsk region head, Serhiy Taruta, said he believed 1,300 people were in the building when it was bombed and 130 had been rescued so far.
Speaking in an interview on Ukrainian television Thursday afternoon, Taruta said rescue efforts have been hindered by the complete breakdown of social services in the city and fears of future Russian attacks.
Taruta said:
People are doing everything themselves. My friends went to help, but due to constant shelling it was not safe. People are clearing away the rubble themselves.
There is no rescue operation, because all the services that are supposed to rescue people, to treat them, to bury them, these services no longer exist.
It is impossible to get people out from under the rubble of the theater in Mariupol because of constant shelling. On March 16, the Russian Armed Forces bombed the Drama Theatre in Mariupol. It was an air-raid shelter and had "children" written around it on the concrete. pic.twitter.com/WoYAXjGbVH
— Franak Viačorka (@franakviacorka) March 18, 2022
