Russia steps up Azovstal siege as freed civilians reach Zaporizhzhia

Volodymyr Zelenskiy says 156 people managed to escape Mariupol while Red Cross says many are still trapped at steelworks

• Russia-Ukraine war: latest updates

Russian forces have shelled and attempted to storm the Azovstal steelworks, the last holdout of Ukrainian troops defending the southern port city of Mariupol, as a first convoy of refugees from the plant reached the city of Zaporizhzhia.

Video footage showed thick smoke in the sky above the site where officials said up to 200 civilians, including children, remained trapped in a network of underground bunkers and tunnels with up to 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers.