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 for illustration purposes only. (Source: Reuters)

The Kiev government accused the independence forces in the East of being behind the incident, while the forces denied it on the grounds that 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 a source at the military camp in eastern Ukraine, at least 6 people were killed and about 20 were injured in the incident. Meanwhile, answering reporters by phone, the regional police department said that 10 civilians were killed and 13 were injured.

A representative of the Donetsk internal affairs agency said the incident was being investigated by the authorities and the road between Donetsk and the city of Mariupol had also been blocked.

Conflicts between Ukrainian government forces and pro-independence forces in the East have been ongoing since April 2014. So far, the conflict has killed more than 4,700 people. Both sides have also frequently accused each other of shelling and firing rockets that have caused civilian casualties./.

According to VNA