Refugees trying to escape the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol using humanitarian corridors were left stranded as the road they were directed towards was mined, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has said.

Dominik Stillhart, director of operations at the ICRC, urged both military forces to come to an immediate agreement on the exact routes and times available for those seeking safe passage out of the country.

He told BBC Radio: “So far we have seen, unfortunately, only agreements in principle.

“But they have immediately broken down because they lack precision.

“They lack the kind of agreements over times, over roads, over whether people can go out or goods can come in.

“To just give you an idea, we have a team in Mariupol on the ground.

“They were ready yesterday [Sunday] despite the fact that it was not entirely clear what exactly the agreement was.

“As soon as they reached the first checkpoint, they realised that the road that was indicated to them was actually mined.”