Rocket fire hits east Ukraine port city of Mariupol, official says 10 killed

In this photo taken on Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015, the destroyed airport in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine is pictured. Battles for control over the airport on the northern edge of the main separatist stronghold of Donetsk intensified over the week with rebels taking control over the terminal, although fighting is continuing in nearby settlements. The airport, which was a major showcase of the Euro 2012 Championship hosted by Ukraine, has been reduced to a hulking wreck by months of intense fighting. (AP Photo/Igor Ivanov) (The Associated Press)

A dead body surrounded by local residents lays on the ground in a residential area in Mariupol, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 24, 2015. A crowded open-air market in Ukraine's strategically important coastal city of Mariupol came under rocket fire Saturday morning, killing at least 10 people, regional police said. Heavy fighting in the region in the autumn raised fears that Russian-backed separatist forces would try to establish a land link between Russia and Crimea. Pro-Russian separatist forces have positions within 10 kilometers (six miles) from Mariupol's eastern outskirts. (AP Photo/Sergey Vaganov) (The Associated Press)

Ukrainian officials say the strategically important coastal city of Mariupol has come under rocket fire, and one says 10 people were killed.

Mariupol lies on the Azov Sea and is the major city between mainland Russia and the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula. Heavy fighting in the region in the autumn raised fears that Russian-backed separatist forces would try to establish a land link between Russia and Crimea. Rebel forces have positions around 10 kilometers (six miles) from Mariupol's eastern outskirts.

The press center for the anti-rebel operation said Grad missiles struck the eastern area on Saturday morning, destroying residential buildings.

Regional police official Vyacheslav Abroskin said on Facebook that 10 people were killed.