麻豆约拍

Russian forces surrounding the southern port city of Mariupol have destroyed a maternity hospital, Ukraine says.

Local officials say it was hit by shelling and that "destruction is colossal". The city has been under Russian bombardment for several days, and there are reports of many dead and injured there, with people trapped for days with little food.

The deputy mayor of Mariupol, Serhiy Orlov, says that there are reports of women and children under the wreckage, and that he cannot believe that a hospital could be targeted. He goes on to say there was hope for a humanitarian corridor into Mariupol today, but that hadn't been possible due to continuous shelling, and that Russian soldiers had been firing on private cars that were leaving the city.

"We don't understand how it is possible in modern life to bomb a children's hospital."

Photo: Bomb damage to the hospital Credit: Mariupol city council