7m displaced in Ukraine, UN estimates

GENEVA－More than 7 million people are estimated to have been internally displaced by the conflict in Ukraine, having fled their homes but remaining in the country, said the United Nations on Tuesday.

The figure issued by the UN's International Organization for Migration is up from the 6.48 million internally displaced persons, or IDPs, estimated in a first study by the IOM on March 16.

"People continue to flee their homes … and the humanitarian needs on the ground continue to soar," IOM Director-General Antonio Vitorino said.

"Humanitarian corridors are urgently needed to allow the safe evacuation of civilians and ensure the safe transportation and delivery of much-needed humanitarian aid in order to rapidly assist those internally displaced."

Ukraine established seven humanitarian corridors on Tuesday, said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Telegram.

One humanitarian corridor was set up to allow civilians to leave the conflict-battered city of Mariupol via private transport, Vereshchuk said.

Other humanitarian routes were established to evacuate people from Tokmak and Berdyansk towns in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and from four settlements in Lugansk, the official said.

On Monday, 3,376 people were evacuated from areas affected by the conflict in Ukraine.

Russia's special military operation in Ukraine began on Feb 24, causing millions to flee their homes, including more than 4.2 million Ukrainians who have left the country entirely.

The IOM conducted its second survey between March 24 and April 1, and estimated that 7,138,715 people were internally displaced within Ukraine as of Friday.

Fifty-nine percent of IDPs were estimated to be women.

It was estimated that nearly 2.4 million people had fled the Kyiv region, 2.4 million fled the east, and 1.7 million fled the north.

The survey found that 41 percent of IDPs, or 2.9 million people, were now located in the west of the country.

It found that more than 60 percent of displaced households had children, 57 percent included elderly members, and 30 percent had people with chronic illnesses.

More than a third of displaced households indicated that they had no income in the last month.

Beyond the estimated 7.1 million IDPs, "more communities in need remain trapped", the IOM said.

A further 2.9 million people were estimated to be considering leaving their homes.

As for the reasons why people are staying in their homes, 16 percent said it was not safe for them to leave, 6 percent said they did not want to leave family members behind, 3 percent said they would not know where to go, and 1 percent said they could not leave due to health issues.

The rapid representative assessment was conducted through interviews with 2,000 anonymous respondents aged over 18 who were contacted at random over the telephone.

The survey is used by the IOM to gather insights into internal displacement and mobility, and to assess humanitarian needs in Ukraine.

The IOM said cash, transportation, food, shelter and hygiene items are among the most pressing needs for displaced people.

Agencies Via Xinhua