At least 65 Turkish citizens and their relatives have been evacuated from Ukrainian city of Mariupol amid the Russian siege of the city, a local official said Thursday.
Turkish citizens and their relatives were trapped at shelters and homes in the city, as well as at the Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent Mosque in Mariupol, Ismail Hacıoğlu, head of the mosque's administration, told Anadolu Agency (AA).
He said evacuation buses that were supposed to pick up Turkish nationals were unable to enter Mariupol as Russian attacks continued Thursday.
"The Turkish Foreign Ministry notified the Russian Foreign Ministry about the evacuation of Turkish nationals. That's why the area where our mosque is located was not bombed," he said.
"Those who had access to vehicles left the city using the area where our mosque is located. So far, 65 Turkish citizens and their relatives have left today."
He said people leaving Mariupol were heading to the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia.
"Efforts are underway to evacuate 87 more Turkish citizens and their relatives from Mariupol," Hacıoğlu said.
News of the evacuation of Turkish nationals came hours after Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey was in contact with Russia and Ukraine for the safe evacuation of its nationals from Ukraine, especially Mariupol.
Russian troops have put a blockade on the strategic Ukrainian port city Mariupol, the mayor announced Saturday.
Capturing Mariupol, a city of about 450,000 people on the Azov Sea, would represent a bigger prize for Russian forces as it would deal a severe blow to Ukraine's maritime access and connect troops coming from the annexed Crimea and Donbass regions.
Since Russia launched its war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, more than 2.5 million people have fled to other countries, with some 2 million more displaced within the country.
At least 564 civilians have also been killed and 982 others injured in Ukraine, according to U.N. estimates.
While the European Union, United States and others have imposed sanctions on Moscow, many companies and global brands have also suspended operations in Russia.
