Untreated sewage, unburied bodies and unclean water prompt fears of disease in Mariupol.

Exiled leaders from the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol are warning that there is a growing risk of disease outbreaks because sewage systems are not working, dead bodies are still rotting in the streets and tens of thousands who remain in the ruin do not have access to clean water.

The Mariupol City Council outlined the dangers in a post on Telegram, saying the summer heat had “accelerated the decomposition of thousands of corpses under the rubble.”

“The city is literally drowning in garbage and sewage,” the council said.

Russian state media denounced the reports as propaganda and denied suggestions from Ukrainian officials that a quarantine was being put in place to limit a cholera outbreak.

It was not possible to independently verify either side’s claims because Russian forces have banned international relief agencies from working in the city. No confirmed cases have been reported publicly. Read more

@nytimes