Russian shelling has reduced Mariupol to ‘ashes of a dead land’, Ukraine says

Convoy evacuating more than 1,000 survivors sets off on tense escape through Russian-occupied territory

• Russia-Ukraine war - latest updates

Russian artillery has unleashed a continuous bombardment on the port of Mariupol, reducing the besieged city to ashes of a dead land", Ukrainian officials said, as survivors described their escape past bodies piled up in the streets.

The Donetsk governor, Pavlo Kyrylenko, accused Vladimir Putin's forces of indiscriminate fire on civilian areas, as local officials said two super-powerful bombs" had struck amid efforts to rescue the remaining 100,000-200,000 civilians hiding in basements and shelters.