'Worst-case scenario' possible for thousands of civilians trapped in Mariupol: Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is calling for an urgent solution for the "life-and-death" situation facing the hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in Mariupol without access to running water and electricity as the heavy airstrikes from Russian forces continue.
A "worst-case" scenario awaits those who remain in the city unless a humanitarian agreement among the fighting parties is reached immediately, the ICRC said in a press release on Sunday.
"We call on all parties involved in the fighting to place humanitarian imperatives first. People in Mariupol have endured a weekslong life-and-death nightmare. This needs to stop now," Peter Maurer, president of the ICRC, said in a statement. "Their safety and their access to food, water and shelter must be guaranteed."
People of all ages, including Red Cross staff, are sheltering in unheated basements and risking their lives to make short runs outside for food and water, according to the ICRC.
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Dead bodies, both of civilians and combatants, remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the open where they fell, and those suffering injuries or chronic, debilitating conditions are unable to seek treatment.
"The sound of warfare is constant. Buildings are struck, and shrapnel flies everywhere," said ICRC's operational leader in Mariupol, Sasha Volkov. "This is the situation every person in the city faces."
-ABC News' Zoe Magee