A Ukrainian theater where hundreds of civilians had reportedly taken shelter was bombed in a string of attacks by Russian forces on Wednesday.
Drone footage showed fire and smoke rising from the rubble of the Mariupol Drama Theater in the port city of Mariupol, which has been under attack since March 1, The Washington Post reported.
"Russian aircraft purposefully dropped a huge bomb on the Drama Theater in the city center," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address. "The building was destroyed. The death toll is still unknown. Our hearts are broken by what Russia is doing to our people."
The theater has been described as Mariupol's largest shelter "in number and size," according to CNN. Between 1,000 and 1,200 people had sought refuge in the building, which had the word "children" spelled out in Russian on the ground in an attempt to warn fighter jets to stay away, the BBC reported.
The Mariupol City Council shared an image of the building on Telegram, saying Russian forces "purposefully and cynically destroyed" the theater in a "horrific and inhumane act."
"The central part of the Drama Theater was destroyed, and the entrance to the bomb shelter in the building was destroyed," the council wrote. "Women, children, and the elderly remain in the enemy's sights. These are completely unarmed peaceful people. It is obvious that the only goal of the Russian army is the genocide of the Ukrainian people.
"We will never forgive and never forget," the council added.
On Thursday, survivors reportedly started emerging from the rubble.
"After an awful night of not knowing, we finally have good news from Mariupol on the morning of the 22nd day of the war. The bomb shelter [of the theater] was able to hold. The rubble is beginning to be cleared. People are coming out alive," Sergei Taruta, the former Donetsk region head, said Thursday on Facebook, CNN reported.
It is not yet clear how many people survived. Rescue work is under way.
Russia's Defense Ministry denied bombing the theater -- or any other place in Mariupol.
Ukrainian officials estimate that as many as 2,500 civilians have died in Mariupol and another 300,000 residents are trapped inside the city.
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