Warning siren sounds in rebel-held capital in east Ukraine -Reuters witness

DONETSK, Ukraine (Reuters) – A loud warning siren sounded in the centre of the east Ukrainian city of Donetsk on Friday after a Russian-backed separatist leader in the breakaway region announced an evacuation of residents, a Reuters witness said.

Separately, the head of the self-declared Luhansk People’s Republic, east Ukraine’s second separatist-held region, also announced an evacuation of residents.

People will start being bussed out from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic on Friday at 8 p.m. local time (1700 GMT), Interfax news agency cited a source as saying.