“Immediate and unhindered humanitarian access” to the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol is “urgently needed,” according to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The ICRC said it is “deeply alarmed by the situation in Mariupol, where the population is in dire need of assistance.”

In an Easter message, Ukrainian Capt. Sviatoslav Palamar reported that Russian soldiers continued to pound the city on Sunday.

As Ukrainian officials estimate that 100,000 civilians need to be evacuated from the devastated city.

Azov troops, originally formed as a nationalist volunteer battalion but later folded into the Ukrainian military.

“Immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access is urgently required to allow for the voluntary safe passage of thousands of civilians and hundreds of wounded out of the city, including from the Azovstal plant area,” the ICRC continued.

The ICRC has attempted to evacuate citizens from the city on many occasions, with one of its teams being detained overnight by authorities in early April during one effort.

The event demonstrated “how dangerous and complex the mission to ensure safe transit around Mariupol has become for our team,” according to an ICRC representative after the crew was released.

“Each day, each hour that passes has a terrible human cost,” the ICRC stressed.

It concluded with teams are in place to facilitate safe passage operations, as soon as security guarantees are provided.