Members of the separatist militia in east Ukraine have taken over the border guards camp near Luhansk which was the scene of fierce fighting earlier this week.

One eye witness said she saw guns and ammunition being removed from the base with separatists claiming the Ukrainian troops had given up after the gun battle lasting 17 hours.

Government forces acknowledged on Wednesday the camp had been evacuated and personnel left with their weapons -“redeployed to safer places,” was the phrase used on their website.

The bitter recriminations over the rocket which exploded into the side of an administrative building have taken another twist. Kyiv said it was the work of separatist when they misfired a heat seeking missile.

On Wednesday sources quoted the OSCE pointing to a statement from the organisation which said, based on available evidence, the explosion was the result of non-guided rockets fired from an aircraft.

It’s reported Kyiv has issued a follow-up statement saying the Air-Force fired more than 150 missiles over Luhansk on Monday.

The number of civilian dead in the incident is also one of conjecture. The OSCE says the number of casualties is unknown while the rebels allege eight died in the explosion.