Mariupol official: Dozens of bodies removed

Up to 100 bodies found in the ruins of high-rise buildings in the devastated Ukrainian port city of Mariupol are being transported to morgues and landfills, a mayoral aide said Wednesday.

Petro Andryushchenko described the removal of the bodies as an "endless caravan of death" in a post on the Telegram app.

Ukrainian authorities estimate at least 21,000 civilians were killed and hundreds of buildings destroyed during a weekslong Russian siege of Mariupol. Reports have surfaced of mass graves holding thousands of bodies.

Russia claimed full control of Mariupol last month.

The city has endured some of the war's worst suffering and became a worldwide symbol of defiance after hundreds of Ukrainian fighters held out for months at a steel plant despite relentless bombardment.