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Ukraine ammunition depot blasts death toll rises to 4

Xinhua, November 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

The death toll from massive explosions last week at an ammunition depot in eastern Ukraine rose to four after rescuers found two more bodies in the debris, local authorities said Monday.

"The rescuers have found the bodies of two soldiers who were listed as missing," Lugansk region administration said via its Facebook page.

The two dead were the members of the engineer combat squad that worked in the depot, the statement said.

On Oct. 29, one civilian and one soldier were confirmed dead after a series of explosions ripped through a depot with over 3,500 tons of munitions in Svatovo town in Lugansk region.

Besides the fatalities, four civilians and four servicemen were wounded in the incident.

The explosions have also damaged 50 private houses and 20 municipal buildings and forced evacuation of about 5,000 people.

The incident was being investigated as a potential "act of terrorism," said the Ukrainian Security Service, without giving details on those suspected.

Svatovo is a small government-controlled town in Ukraine's restive eastern region. It lies about 100 km from the contact line separating the Ukrainian army from pro-independence rebel forces. Endit