Dead buildings tower over uncollected corpses in Mariupol

Officials in Mariupol say 2,500 people have died since Russian forces poured across the Ukrainian border on February 24.

Local residents carry water from the food warehouse, on the territory which is under the Government of the Donetsk People's Republic control, on the outskirts of Mariupol, Ukraine. Picture: AP Photo/Alexei Alexandrov

In Mariupol daily life is a series of harrowing escapes from bomb blasts and basic survival rituals, amid the rubble that lies everywhere.

Uncollected corpses wrapped in blankets, coats or any available covering lie in courtyards cleared of debris. Those killed are often buried in common graves.