Mariupol evacuation corridor did not work as planned -Ukraine's deputy PM

Evacuees wait before boarding a bus to leave the city during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port of Mariupol, Ukraine April 20, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

(Reuters) - Ukraine's deputy prime minister said on Wednesday that an agreed humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol had not worked as planned, blaming Russian forces for not holding their ceasefire.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk also said Russian-organised buses failed to deliver evacuees on time to the point where Ukrainian buses and ambulances were waiting.