A column of buses carrying escaped residents of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol arrived in Zaporizhzhia to the northwest on Friday, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.
The buses carried people who had been able to escape Mariupol to Russian-occupied Berdiansk and from there were bussed to Zaporizhzhia, more than 200 kilometres northwest of the besieged city, the evacuees and officials said.
In a video address posted on Telegram Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk confirmed that the evacuation was proceeding successfully.
"Know and believe: we are with you," Vereshchuk said, addressing Mariupol residents. "Today, while we are recording this clip, buses are already on their way taking Mariupol residents -- 42 buses" to safety.
An AFP reporter in Zaporizhzhia counted about 30 of them.
"We know how much you want to be saved. Every day we will try and try to break through until you get a chance to leave the city, and most is most important, to live a peaceful life," Vereshchuk said in the video.
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