Evacuation from Mariupol's Azovstal begins: Ukrainian president

KIEV, May 1 (Xinhua) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that an evacuation is underway inside the Azovstal plant in the besieged city of Mariupol.

"The first group of about 100 people is already heading to the controlled area," Zelensky tweeted.

He said that the evacuees are set to arrive in southern Ukraine's city of Zaporizhzhia on Monday.

Petro Andryushchenko, an advisor to the mayor of Mariupol said earlier on Telegram that the evacuation began at 4 p.m. local time (1300 GMT).

The Ukrainian authorities are working with the United Nations to evacuate other civilians from the plant, Zelensky said.

The evacuation from Mariupol was the centerpiece of talks between Zelensky and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday.

Mariupol, a key Azov Sea port city in eastern Ukraine, has seen intense fighting since the Russia-Ukraine conflict started.