At least 9 people were killed and 64 others wounded over the past day as fighting dragged on between the independence-seeking insurgents and government forces in eastern Ukraine, reports showed Thursday.

Andrei Lysenko, spokesman for the National Security and Defense Council, told reporters that one Ukrainian soldier was killed and four were wounded over the past 24 hours.

Meanwhile, the rebel-run Novorossia news agency said at least three insurgents were killed and 36 others hospitalized after a day of fighting with government forces.

The center of the rebels' stronghold of Donetsk came under heavy shelling overnight. As a result, the Donetsk's municipal council said, five civilians were killed and 24 were wounded.

Also, a private house in Donetsk was destroyed by a mortar, and several others were badly damaged, the municipal council said in a statement.

Bombardments have disrupted gas supplies in two districts of the city, the municipal council said, adding that artillery and gun fire could still be heard in Donetsk as of Thursday morning.

Donetsk has become a center of fighting between government forces and insurgents in recent weeks, as the rebels seek to seize the city's airport, which is now under the control of Ukrainian troops.

The insurgents and government have been trading accusations over the shelling and violation of a ceasefire deal, which was agreed upon on Sept. 5 in a bid to pave the way for a solution of the conflict.

According to the latest report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, over 3,660 people have been killed and around 8,750 others wounded since the start of the violent clashes in eastern Ukraine in mid-April.