Four killed as military vehicle hits landmine in eastern Ukraine

At least four people were killed and one person was severely wounded when a military vehicle hit a landmine in Ukraine's eastern Lugansk region on Sunday, authorities said Monday.

Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for the government military operation in eastern regions, said that the incident happened near Popasna town, when an armored personnel carrier with five people onboard struck the landmine planted along the unpaved road.

Two Ukrainian servicemen and two non-combatant volunteers, who assisted the Ukrainian army, were killed, Lysenko said, adding that another volunteer was taken to a hospital in critical condition with burns to 80 percent of his body.

Besides, four other Ukrainian servicemen were wounded in clashes with pro-independence rebels in eastern regions in the past 24 hours, Lysenko said, accusing insurgents of attacking government positions with heavy weapons.

In return, the rebel forces said that the Ukrainian army has violated the ceasefire 22 times in the past day, wounding one insurgent soldier.

More than 6,100 people have been killed and at least 15,500 others wounded in the confrontation in eastern Ukraine, which has raged since April 2014.

The ceasefire, which came into force in Ukraine's restive regions on Feb. 15, has helped to significantly ease the fighting, but sporadic clashes still occur. Endi