Civilians and Ukrainian forces sheltering at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol are facing “nonstop” bombardment, with basic supplies running low as Ukrainian officials race to evacuate those inside, according to a captain in the plant, writes CNN.

“The strikes (are) going on nonstop, it"s been tank artillery, volley artillery, and every three to five minutes there were air bombardments”, - said Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Ukrainian Azov Regiment. “There are still civilians sheltering in the plant, and yet the enemy continues this bombing”.

About 100 civilians were evacuated from the plant Sunday, but a further planned evacuation for Monday did not take place. Meanwhile, the mood inside is grim, with the regiment reporting low supplies of water and food.

“I cannot tell you for sure how much is left for how many days, but I can assure you that we are saving - very fearful without water and food, and especially ammunition”, - Palamar said. He added that the regiment was sharing “whatever we have with the civilians”.

“If (worst) comes to worst and we run out of food, we’ll be catching birds, and we’ll be doing everything just to stand firm”, - he said.