 "A Ukrainian serviceman guards his position in Mariupol, Ukraine, Saturday, March 12, 2022. Ukrainian military says Russian forces have captured the eastern outskirts of the besieged city of Mariupol. (AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov)")
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that of the 14 planned humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of stranded people, only nine were operational in the last 24 hours.
According to Vereshchuk, on Sunday 600 people were evacuated from the town of Borodyanka and taken to Zhytomyr, while 600 others were evacuated from Bucha, near Kiev, Ukrayinska Pravda reported.
At least 3,950 people were evacuated from the Kiev region and 1,600 people from the separatist Luhansk, the Minister noted.
She said that as Mariupol was under protracted shelling, humanitarian cargo remained blocked in Berdyansk, halfway to the strategic port city.
"We will resume the attempt to reach and break through to our native Mariupol tomorrow (Monday) morning," Vereshchuk was quoted as saying.
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Evacuation attempts also failed in the towns of Popasna, Shchastya and Hirs'ke village due to continued Russian shelling, while a corridor in the city of Polohy remained blocked, the Minister noted.
In a separate statement late Sunday, Dmytro Zhyvytskyi, head of the Sumy region where heavy fighting has continued since the war started on February 24, said there will be no civilian evacuation from the area on Monday.
In a social media post, Zhyvytskyi said that "none of the routes (humanitarian corridors) have been agreed upon today", the BBC reported.
He however, added "negotiations are ongoing".
Last week, approximately 5,000 civilians, including 1,700 foreign students - many of them from India - were evacuated through a humanitarian corridor towards Poltava.
--IANS
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