A woman who used to work at a theater in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol has spoken of her distress over an attack on it by Russian forces.

The theater, where civilians had sheltered, was bombed last Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said more than 130 people were rescued, but hundreds of others remain trapped under the rubble. The true extent of the damage remains unknown.

Eva worked as a stage director at the theater until early last month.

She spoke in a phone interview on Monday from western Ukraine, where she had evacuated.

Eva said she was shocked and in disbelief when she saw photos of the destroyed building.

She said she wants to know who was there at the time of the attack. She added that some of her former colleagues were there. She is unable to reach them and wants to know how they are now.

Eva described the theater as a symbol of the city. She said she has a lot of nice memories of it.

Eva also said the theater has several basement floors with storage rooms and various shops, including a restaurant.

She said it's possible that hundreds of people had taken shelter there, and that she hopes her colleagues are doing everything they can for the evacuees.

Eva said people are risking their lives to flee Mariupol. She said rows of cars carrying evacuees are sometimes attacked, and residents are experiencing hellish situations.