11 killed in eastern Ukraine as fighting deepens

Ukraine authorities said Friday that 11 people were killed and dozens wounded in fighting in the country's restive eastern region.

Six government forces were killed and 18 other injured in the deadly battles with pro-independence fighters, Ukrainian military spokesman Andrei Lysenko told reporters Friday.

The military casualties came as fighting intensified in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, where the fighters launched an offensive to capture the government-controlled airport, Xinhua reported.

Earlier in the day, rebels claimed to have seized the airport, while Kiev has denied losing control over the key facility.

Meanwhile, heavy fighting in the airport has affected Donetsk north-east neighbourhoods close to the site, killing at least four civilians and wounding six others, the municipal council said.

Another civilian died after being caught in the crossfire between government forces and rebels in the neighbouring Lugansk region, authorities said.

The latest outbreak of violence marked a new wave of escalation of the nine-month-old conflict, which has killed more than 4,700 people since the Ukrainian government sent troops into eastern regions in mid-April to retake cities and towns captured by insurgents.