Eastern Ukraine shelling: 'I'm afraid to leave my basement'

This photo, which is being circulated by activists on Twitter, shows a minibus in which four people were reportedly killed following shelling in Kramatorsk. 

Following Ukraine’s decision not to renew a ceasefire – which had already been broken on numerous occasions – hostilities with pro-Russian separatists in the country’s east intensified on Tuesday. Amateur photos taken in the town of Kramatorsk reportedly show a minibus damaged by the shelling, in which four civilians were killed and five wounded Tuesday morning, according to local authorities aligned with Kiev.

The video below shows a woman's lifeless body inside a minibus, the windows of which seem to have been blown out.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO MAY SHOCK VIEWERS.

It is not clear who fired the shells that hit the bus, nor those that fell on a Kramatorsk school and residential buildings. No other fatalities were reported. According to an Al Jazeera reporter on the ground, the school served as a shelter, and some of the residential buildings were used as “impromptu barracks” by the separatists.

Several busloads of residents reportedly fled Kramatorsk for Russia on Tuesday.

"I don't understand why our own authorities are doing this"

The bombings never stopped, not even during the ceasefire. Yesterday, my friend got hurt in her own home: shelling caused her window to shatter, and glass shards slashed her legs. Everywhere outside, there is broken glass. I’ve seen dead people in the streets, maybe 10 of them since this all started. I have children, so my family has been staying in our basement – it’s the only safe place. Many people are doing this.

We’re afraid to leave the house. The buses and trains have stopped running, so we can’t leave. Even by car, it would be too risky. There’s too much shelling, and who knows what we would run into out there. I don’t understand how our own authorities can be doing this. There are women, children, and old people living here. We pray it will stop soon.