Theatre sheltering hundreds of civilians bombed in Mariupol

A drama theatre that was hosting hundreds of civilians fleeing the conflict-ridden areas of the city of Mariupol in Ukraine's south-east was bombed on Wednesday allegedly by Russian aircraft, media reports said.

Mariupol City Council, who shared an image of the destroyed building, said Russian forces had "purposefully and cynically destroyed the Drama Theater in the heart of Mariupol," CNN reported.

"It is still impossible to estimate the scale of this horrific and inhumane act because the city continues to shell residential areas," the council wrote on Telegram. "It is known that after the bombing, the central part of the Drama Theater was destroyed, and the entrance to the bomb shelter in the building was destroyed," it added.

"The plane dropped a bomb on a building where hundreds of peaceful Mariupol residents were hiding," it claimed.

Videos of the aftermath showed a fire raging in the theatre's ruins. The number of casualties has not been ascertained yet by the local authorities.

Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry denied the allegations of bombing the theatre saying that the right-wing extremist Azov battalion blew up the building, "according to available reliable data," Sputnik News Agency reported.

"In the afternoon of March 16, Russian aviation did not carry out any tasks related to delivering strikes against ground targets in the city of Mariupol," the ministry said in a statement.

On the same day, US Embassy in Ukraine accused Russian troops of shooting and killing 10 people standing in line for bread in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv.

"Such horrific attacks must stop. We are considering all available options to ensure accountability for any atrocity crimes in Ukraine," the Embassy added.

As many as 2,500 civilians have died in Mariupol, Ukrainian officials estimate, and hundreds of thousands of people are trapped in the city -- with officials warning those who remain are without electricity, water and heat, CNN further reported.

Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Wednesday passed an order asking Russia to suspend its military operations in Ukraine that it started on February 24.

Russia has been facing immense pressure from the international community to stop its military operations in Ukraine which has created an immense humanitarian crisis with thousands of refugees from Ukraine fleeing to the neighbouring countries to the west.