Four civilians wounded in artillery shelling in E. Ukraine

KIEV, Dec. 18 (Xinhua) -- At least four civilians were wounded on Monday during artillery shelling in the village of Novoluganske in Ukraine's conflict-hit eastern Donetsk region, authorities said.

Pavlo Zhebrivsky, the Kiev-appointed head of Donetsk regional military-civilian administration, said on Facebook that the village was attacked by Grad rocket launchers at about 5 p.m. local time (GMT 1500).

According to him, at least 15 rocket shells hit eight private houses and a kindergarten, injuring two women and two men.

One person, who has received very serious injuries, is undergoing surgery, Zhebrivsky said.

He accused pro-independence rebels of launching the offensive against the village, which marked a first major attack against the residential areas in the recent weeks. The insurgent leadership has not commented on the incident yet.

Novoluganske village, which lies near the contact line of fighting in eastern Ukraine, is controlled by the Ukrainian government troops.

According to the latest UN estimates, over 2,500 civilians were killed and about 9,000 others injured in eastern Ukraine since the start of the conflict in April 2014. Enditem