An explosion and fire rocked a chemical plant outside a separatist stronghold in eastern Ukraine today. Rebels said it was hit by government shelling.
No casualties or damage were immediately reported from the blast, which was so powerful that it was heard as far as downtown Donetsk.
An armed conflict between Russia-backed separatists and government forces has killed more than 5,300 people and displaced more than a million.
The rebel mouthpiece Donetsk News Agency said today that the chemical plant to the west of the city was hit by a Ukrainian artillery shell but the fire was put out and it posed no danger.
The rebel stronghold of Donetsk lies in the middle of the Ukrainian industrial heartland, and explosions like this have long been feared.
Heavy shelling around Donetsk overnight killed two people in the city, according to rebel official Eduard Basurin. In neighboring areas under government control, at least seven people were killed yesterday, according to Donetsk region police chief Vyacheslav Abroskin.
The leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine aim to hold a summit on Wednesday to draw up a package of measures to breathe new life into a much-violated September peace plan for eastern Ukraine.
Preparations for the summit will take place today in Berlin, while rebel leaders, representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe are expected to meet on tomorrow.
