A couple have shared their harrowing escape from Mariupol, which has suffered the worst humanitarian catastrophe of the Ukraine war so far.

On Wednesday, the city was rocked by a Russian airstrike on a theatre where hundreds were sheltering, with rescue workers continuing to dig survivors out of the rubble.

Ukraine war: Russia has sent 150,000 troops across border, US says – follow live updates

Ivan Ivanov and Kristina Dzholas, who have been married for 12 years but still use different surnames, told Sky News they felt “lucky” they were able to escape the city earlier in the week.

They fled to Dnipro, in the east of Ukraine, along with their nine-year-old son Svyat.

Mr Ivanov, who had worked as a driver, said the family had initially been hiding in the basement under a school while shelling took place.

‘We set off even though we didn’t know where we were going’

Ukraine war: Defence Secretary Ben Wallace slams Russian ‘dirty tricks’ as he reveals call from imposter claiming to be Ukrainian PM

Ukraine war: British-built rover launch to find life on Mars delayed over ‘impossibility’ of working with Russia

Ukraine war: Arnold Schwarzenegger tells Russian troops he does not want them to be ‘broken’ like his father who fought for Nazis

However, the family made the tough decision to leave the rest of their family and friends behind after their garden was hit by shelling earlier this week.

He said: “Life in Mariupol is very difficult now. We were hiding in the basement under a grammar school when a shell hit the school.

“It is a city of death, horror and fear, where people are now dying, ordinary people, when they go out to find water.”

Mrs Dzholas, who worked at the Mariupol town council, described the moment they decided to leave Mariupol and the relief they felt when they saw a traffic jam of other cars also fleeing.

Read more: Putin’s ‘medieval’ war tactic that is causing a ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Ukraine

Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

She told Sky News: “A shell fell in our yard and we heard a bang. But our car was still intact in the garage, thank God, otherwise we would not have been able to leave.

“We were lucky. We drove under hanging electricity cables and saw a plane flying above us, as well as shells flying and fighting. It was dangerous, but the chance to leave was the most valuable thing for us at that moment.

“Then we saw some Ukrainian soldiers at the exit from the town and they let us through. We did not know what to expect as we drove through, but then we came to a traffic jam, which was comforting as it meant we were not alone.

“This is really scary and should not be happening in the 21st Century.”

Related posts:

One in five testing positive for COVID in Indian state as court says officials should face ‘murder charges’ EU Commission sues AstraZeneca over vaccine contract ‘I felt hurt and alone’: European Commission president blames sexism for ‘sofagate’ debacle Mayoral candidate killed after sharing campaign trail location in Facebook Live video Gunmen release kidnapped Nigeria schoolchildren after three months The biometric, social and business data the Taliban could use to target left-behind Afghans Lewis Hamilton hails ‘magical moment’ as he wins 100th Formula One race Social Democrats narrowly beat Merkel’s party in German election as Germany faces prolonged coalition talks South Korea’s president says ‘time has come’ to consider dog meat ban Woman, 21, trying to join fiance in UK is first identified victim of Channel tragedy Kim Jong Un warns of ‘great life-and-death struggle’ for N Korea as he marks 10 years in power India and Pakistan exchange lists of prisoners and nuclear assets