A bus in eastern Ukraine was hit by a long-range Grad missile.

At least six Ukrainian civilians were killed and 12 injured on January 13 when their bus was hit by a long-range Grad rocket in eastern Ukraine.

Photo is for illustration purposes only. (Source: Reuters)

The Kiev government accused the pro-independence forces in the East of being behind the incident, while the forces denied it, saying the area where the bus was shot was outside the firing range of the missiles they possess.

Local police said the missile likely went astray after being launched from a checkpoint on the main highway linking Donetsk, now controlled by pro-independence forces, with Ukraine's Azov coast.

The exact number of casualties is still unknown. According to sources at the military camp in eastern Ukraine, at least 6 people were killed and about 20 were injured in the incident. Meanwhile, answering the press by phone, the regional police department said that 10 civilians were killed and 13 were injured.

A representative of the Donetsk interior ministry said the incident is being investigated by the authorities and the road between Donetsk and the city of Mariupol has also been blocked.

Conflicts broke out between Ukrainian government forces and independence-seeking forces in the East since April 2014. To date, the conflicts have killed more than 4,700 people. Both sides also frequently accuse each other of shelling and firing rockets that cause civilian casualties./.

According to VNA