In a video message from outside the bombed site, Fedorov said the Russian shelling began at about 16:00 local time (14:00 GMT) on Wednesday.

He said that two guided bombs struck residential buildings. Earlier he had said “industrial infrastructure” had been targeted.

Graphic images posted online showed first responders treating casualties on the roadside, several vehicles on fire and a stationary tram with its windows shattered.

In one video, at least two minibuses are seen with their windows blown out and what appear to be casualties lying amid rubble and debris on the road.

Zaporizhzhia lies close to the front line.

In a statement later on Wednesday, President Zelensky said that “there is nothing more cruel than launching aerial bombs on a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer”.

And appealing to Ukraine’s allies for more support, he said “that only through strength can such a war be ended with a lasting peace”.

A day of mourning will be declared across the Zaporizhzhia region on Thursday.