The capital of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region has come under heavy shelling from government forces, aid workers and regional officials say.
The centre of Mekelle is being hit “with heavy weaponry and artillery,” the ruling regional party said.
The Ethiopian army has been locked in conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) for weeks.
It says it hopes to seize the city from the TPLF within days, but will avoid harming its 500,000 civilians.
Hundreds of people have reportedly been killed, and thousands have been forced from their homes as Ethiopian forces have seized towns.
The Ethiopian military earlier said it had captured the town of Wikro, north of Mekelle, along with several other towns in the Tigray region.
Details of the fighting are hard to confirm because all phone, mobile and internet communications with the Tigray region have been cut.
