KIEV, Shawwal 22, 1435, Aug 18, 2014, SPA -- Dozens of people, including women and children, were killed fleeing fighting in eastern Ukraine on Monday when their convoy of buses was hit by rocket fire, Reuters quoted military spokesmen as saying. Ukraine accused pro-Russian rebels of targeting the convoy, which it said was bearing white flags when it was hit near the eastern city of Luhansk. The separatists denied responsibility for the attack and one rebel leader suggested the incident might never have taken place. "The rebels were expecting the convoy and destroyed it entirely," military spokesman Andriy Lysenko told journalists. "We haven't been able to count the number of victims ... dozens (were killed)." The convoy had been in an area of fierce fighting between government forces and the separatists when it came under fire from rebel Grad and mortar launchers, the spokesmen said. A rebel leader denied his forces had the military capability to conduct such an attack, and accused Kiev forces of regularly attacking the area and also using Russian-made Grad missiles. --SPA 21:38 LOCAL TIME 18:38 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w