Russian bombs ‘destroy theatre with 1,200 civilians sheltering inside’ in devastated Mariupol, officials say

A RUSSIAN bomb destroyed a theatre today in besieged Mariupol where 1,200 civilians have been sheltering, according to officials. The Mariupol Drama Theatre had been used as central gathering point with meals being provided and people sleeping overnight. TwitterThe Mariupol Drama Theatre[/caption] TwitterThe number of casualties is not yet known[/caption] The city’s deputy mayor, Serhiy Orlov, said between 1,000 and 1,200 people were inside the building. Rescuers are searching the wreckage for survivors but the number of casualties is not yet known. Shocking footage showed the aftermath of the strike with a huge chunk of the building decimated by the bomb. Another video showed smouldering vehicles and debris strewn across what appeared to be the theatre’s car park. Read more on the Ukraine war HOPE IN SIGHT Russia claims a PEACE DEAL is close after Putin’s army pummelled by Ukraine WIPED OUT Horror moment ‘elderly man blasted to death by Russian tank in war-torn Mariupol’ Footage posted online just five days ago showed the theatre packed with people. Mariupol has been under fire for more than two weeks and local officials estimate the siege has killed more than 2,300 people. Putin’s troops have taken hundreds of hospital staff and patients hostage at Mariupol Regional Intensive Care Hospital. The soldiers are said to be forcing nearby residents out of their homes and into the hospital after days of relentless Russian shelling. Most read in News CHAOS RULES Live Ukraine war updates as Putin accused of making 3 MAJOR invasion errors RED ALERT Russia BANS Joe Biden and demands Alaska as state TV calls for nuke strikes on US BLITZED TO PIECES Dramatic moment Russian tank blown up as Ukrainians lay waste to invaders bent bust Ex-Prem star Marcus Bent is penniless and banned from road after £20k-a-wk career 'BOMB' SCARE Urgent evacuation at shopping centre after reports of bomb threat BRINK OF ARMAGEDDON Nuke war ‘a few steps away’ as West faces down Russia, warns RAF chief Mr Orlov said about 400 people are being stopped from leaving the city centre hospital. He told the BBC: “We received information that the Russian army captured our biggest hospital… and they’re using our patients and doctors like hostages. “We can confirm this information and also the governor of Donetsk region has confirmed this information. We received information that there are 400 people there.” The Russian soldiers have reportedly threatened to shoot anyone who tries to escape. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Mariupol was quickly running out of food and residents are struggling for water, heating and medicine. And Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, said there were serious problems trying to deliver humanitarian aid to the desperate city of 430,000 people. She said a convoy filled with supplies was stuck at nearby Berdyansk. In a glimmer of hope, around 20,000 people have managed to flee the city by driving along a humanitarian corridor agreed with Russian forces. About 4,000 cars fled northwest to Zaporizhzhia in what is believed to be the biggest evacuation yet from Mariupol, according to Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a senior aide to Zelensky. Elsewhere, at least 10 people have died after Russian troops reportedly opened fire on Ukrainian civilians queueing for bread in the northern city of Chernihiv. Horror footage shows bodies lying on the ground after Russian soldiers allegedly shot them outside a bakery in the city. It comes as Russian soldiers were filmed apparently shooting dead a Ukrainian civilian in cold blood as he held his hands up and surrendered. The distressing clip shows the man getting out of his car and surrendering before dropping to the ground almost immediately. German broadcaster ZDF, which obtained the drone footage, said the incident appears to have taken place on the afternoon of March 7, on the E40 expressway outside Kyiv. The video shows a Russian tank parked near a petrol station while a man in a silver vehicle turns his car around and stops. He can be seen getting out of the car with his hands up – but a few moments later he drops to the ground after being shot. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY… The Sun is your go to destination for the best celebrity news, football news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Download our fantastic, new and improved free App for the best ever Sun Online experience. For iPhone click here, for Android click here.  Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheSun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.