KYIV, Ukraine 

Ukrainian authorities on Sunday said that a large convoy of vehicles carrying evacuees was allowed to leave the port city of Mariupol which has been besieged by the Russian forces.

Petro Andriushchenko, deputy mayor of Mariupol, said the Russian forces allowed a large convoy of up to a thousand vehicles to cross into Zaporizhzhia after three days of waiting.

It is reported that this is the largest single-day evacuation from Mariupol since the start of the war on Feb. 24.

At least 3,573 people have been killed and 3,816 injured since Russia launched the war on Ukraine, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.

Over 6 million people have fled to other countries, with some 7.7 million people internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.

* Writing by Ali Murat Alhas​​​​​​​