One killed in Ukraine shelling of Donetsk hospital

Ukrainian government forces have shelled a hospital in the eastern city of Donetsk, killing at least one person and injuring two others, local authorities say.

The causalities came after mortar fire struck some residential buildings and the Vishnevskiy Hospital in the center of the volatile city on Thursday.

“There was a sudden explosion,” media outlets quoted medics as saying, adding, “A mortar round flew through the window.”

Local officials said the shelling, which destroyed an array of equipment in the dentistry unit, also hit three nearby apartment buildings.

The hospital is next to a key pro-Russians’ base in the occupied building of Ukraine’s security agency.

Donetsk city council spokesman, Maxim Rovensky, also warned residents “to get off the streets and seek shelter in a safe location.”

The developments come as the Kiev government has stepped up its operations around Donetsk and Ukraine’s second largest city of Lugansk.

The ongoing violence has also forced thousands of civilians to abandon their homes. Local authorities have warned of a looming humanitarian crisis as water, food and fuel supplies have dried up in the eastern region.

Meanwhile, Russia said Ukrainian government forces have used banned weapons, such as white phosphorus and a new version of the deadly substance, in their operations against pro-Russia militias in the east.

Moscow said it has evidence of the use of banned weapons by Kiev, and will hand it over to international bodies for further investigation. Russia also said it is trying to identify the responsible Ukrainian military officials.

Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking regions have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since the government in Kiev launched military operations in mid-April in a bid to crush the pro-Russia protests. The United Nations says about 1,400 people have been killed in the military operations.