UKRAINE SENDS BUSES TO MARIUPOL FOR RESCUE EFFORT

Fresh efforts are under way to evacuate civilians trapped by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk said a convoy of 45 Ukrainian buses was on its way to the besieged southern city.

Vereshchuk said the International Committee of the Red Cross had confirmed that Russia had agreed to open a humanitarian corridor to Mariupol, where tens of thousands of civilians have remained after weeks of bombardment.

Earlier, the Russian defence ministry said the United Nations refugee agency and the Red Cross would assist in the evacuation of civilians, which would begin at 10:00 local time.

It said a ceasefire would allow people to travel westwards to Zaporizhzhia via the Russian-controlled port of Berdyansk.