Heavy artillery exchange erupted in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Sunday despite a 10-day-old truce, leaving at least six people dead.

On Sunday, the airport was smothered in fire and black smoke, and a house and a market was also burned down. This was not a ceasefire but "full-on fighting," the New York Times cited a rebel fighter as saying.

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By the middle of the afternoon, war tanks littered the streets and pro-Moscow separatists reinforced their positions near the entrance of the airport, surrounding Ukrainian soldiers in the area.

Medical workers picked up dead bodies from areas affected by the fighting. They collected at least six dead adults including a rebel policeman who helped others take cover when the violence erupted.

From Saturday night up to most of Sunday morning, people heard artillery firing for several hours as the Ukraine government at the airport fought with pro-Russian rebels that dominate the city and the nearby areas.

The cause of the fighting and the one who started it was not yet confirmed, but the two sides reportedly battled each other closely. They have rained each other with artillery almost every day since the September 5 ceasefire deal was inked.

Both parties have blamed the other for violating the truce but the major combats have stopped since the truce was sealed. However, the escalated violence on Sunday suggested that one side attacked the other, the report said.

The Ukrainian army has yet to comment on this latest incident, but one official blamed the rebels, according to Agence France-Presse. The unnamed officer said the separatists launched a military offensive at them at the airport.

A government worker, who identified herself only as Yelena, said they heard a whistle at noon and the shelling began. Nobody from the government warned the citizens about what was happening or advised them on what they should do, she added.

TagsRussia-Ukraine crisis, ceasefire, fighting, pro-Russian rebels, Donetsk