Jtheir bunker could not withstand a direct hit from the fierce Russian bombardment, food was in short supply and finding water could kill them. For some civilians inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, it was an ordeal that finally came to an end on Tuesday when more than 100 people managed to reach the safety of a shopping mall parking lot in Zaporizhzhia, under Ukrainian control.

Some members of the group recounted their experiences of the past few weeks in the besieged factory. They had survived in tunnels under steelworks among Ukrainian troops, having to collect bomb-shattered glass from their food and hoping for rescue.

“Under constant fire, sleeping on makeshift mats, being pounded by shock waves, running with your son and being knocked to the ground by an explosion – it was all horrible,” evacuee Anna Zaitseva said. She carried her six-month-old baby in her arms and wept as she expressed her gratitude to everyone from the troops who found formula for her child to the urgent international rescue effort that got them to safety.

“Thank you,” she said before being escorted to a private area inside the mall.

The group of around 100 civilians who were trapped in their shelters under the steelworks were granted passage as part of a deal struck with invading Russian forces, and took days to be executed before their eyes of the world.

Still, Ukrainian officials noted that some civilians were left behind during the operation, sparking fresh concerns about their fate after kyiv announced Russian forces had launched an offensive with tanks and vehicles. shielded on site.

Covering 11 square kilometers (4.2 square miles), the Azovstal complex is a sprawling maze of railways, warehouses, coal kilns, factories, chimneys and tunnels considered ideal for the guerrillas.

The terror of her time at the steelworks was fresh for Elina Tsybulchenko, 54, who worked at the site for quality control. Tsybulchenko sought refuge there after shelling destroyed his house and there was a lack of water in the city, but even getting water inside the factory carried immense risks.

“They bombed like every second…everything was shaking. Dogs were barking and children were screaming,” she said. “But the most difficult moment was when we were told that our bunker would not survive a direct hit.

“We understood that it would only be a mass grave and that no one could save us under fire,” she added. “It would be impossible to save us.

“You can’t imagine how scary it is to sit in the shelter, in a wet, damp basement bouncing, shaking,” she said from Zaporizhzhia, about 230 km north of Zaporizhzhia. northwest of Mariupol. “We were praying to God for missiles to fly over our shelter because if he hit the shelter we would all be finished.”

In Zaporizhzhia, evacuees traveled from buses to a tent offering hot food. Inside, mothers were feeding young children. Zaitseva said it was difficult to find the basics to survive Azovstal.

“To find water, we had to move between buildings. The men did this for us, including my father,” she said. “He was hurt but thank God it wasn’t fatal.”

She said Ukrainian troops found formula for her infant son, and when it ran out they found semolina which she cooked over candles.

“Raising a child is a difficult thing,” she added, noting that around 70 people had taken refuge in the same place as her. “It’s even more difficult in a bunker without lights.”

Mariupol is one of the worst-hit cities in Ukraine, and the site of Azovstal is where kyiv troops successfully resisted Russian forces.

The risk to civilians has been repeatedly decried, with accusations that Moscow has done little to protect people from its strikes.

“We personally tried to evacuate three times. Once everyone came out and the shooting started. The truce has been broken,” Zaitseva said. “And, of course, after that, we were very suspicious. We thought we had been left behind. But in the end, it turned out to be wrong.”

At a reception center in Zaporizhzhia, stretchers and wheelchairs were lined up, and children’s shoes and toys awaited the convoy. Medical and psychological teams were on standby. Some of the elderly evacuees appeared exhausted upon arrival.

“I am very happy to be on Ukrainian soil,” said a woman who only gave her first name, Anna, and who arrived with two children, aged one and nine. “We thought we wouldn’t get out of there.”

With Agence France-Presse and Associated Press