Survivors emerge from theatre debris

SURVIVORS have begun to emerge as authorities work to rescue hundreds of civilians trapped in the basement of a theatre blasted by Russian airstrikes in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the local governor said.

The strikes the previous evening had left a large section of the grand, three-storey theatre building in the centre of Mariupol collapsed in a smoking ruin, according to photos released by the city council.

Inside, hundreds of men, women and children - up to 1,000, according to some officials - had taken shelter in the basement, seeking safety amid Russia's three-week siege of the strategic southern port city.

Rescuers worked to clear rubble that had blocked the entrance to the basement, despite new strikes reported elsewhere in the city yesterday.

Miraculously, the shelter stood firm, officials said.