Ukraine blames Russia as attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol fall short

Local residents carry belongings past a building destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 19, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

(Reuters) - Ukraine accused Russian forces on Wednesday of failing to observe a local ceasefire agreement long enough to allow large numbers of women, children and elderly people to flee the besieged city of Mariupol.

Ukrainian officials said on Wednesday morning they had secured Russia's agreement to open a safe corridor out of Mariupol. They hoped to use 90 buses to evacuate about 6,000 of the 100,000 civilians believed to still be trapped there.