More than 1,000 people were sheltering in the theatre in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol believed to have been the target of a Russian bombing, Mayor Vadim Boichenko said.
Boichenko posted the information on his Telegram channel early Thursday, calling the incident “another tragedy.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meanwhile said that people had sought protection from shelling in the building and it was now destroyed.
He added that there was no information on fatalities yet.
ALSO READ:Zelensky urges humanitarian no fly-zone over Ukraine
The non-governmental organisation Human Rights Watch had earlier said “hundreds of civilians” were sheltering in the theatre.
Kiev and Moscow have blamed each other for the incident, with the Ukrainian side saying it was a deliberate Russian bombing.
Russia is blaming the Ukrainian nationalist Azov regiment for the attack.
It was not possible to independently verify the information from either side.
Ukrainian theatre sheltering no fewer than 1,000 civilians bombed – Mayor
