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The city of Mariupol is almost totally destroyed, writes Sky News correspondent Sally Lockwood in Lviv. 

It is hard to believe 100,000 people are living in its ashes, as President Zelenskyy claims – trapped and trying to stay alive.

Bombs drop continuously, day and night. Escaping on foot from this living hell seems unfathomable – but we’ve met one family who did.

Their home had been bombed, then their car. They were sheltering in a basement for nearly a month with enough food for just a few days. 

They felt they had no option but to make a run for it.

“We watched as we went to the checkpoint, cars were shot there,” says 15-year-old Bogdan 

His mother, Natalya, added: “There was an old man and woman in (a) car. They were shot next to each other – and for so many days they just lie in the car, nobody picks their bodies up.”

Attempting their extraordinary escape four days ago, they made it on foot to a checkpoint on the outskirts Mariupol.

There they were intercepted by Russian forces and refused an offer to go to Russia. They spent a night at the checkpoint before making it on foot to a neighbouring village where they received an offer from strangers of a lift in a car.

Mother and son showed us images of their bombed home. “The shells started to hit,” Natalya said.

“They flew into the yard, hit a balcony – a man went out on the balcony to smoke and it was hit by a shell. He died.

“A bomb also flew into a neighbouring house; the house burned down completely.