DONETSK, Ukraine (AP) — At least three people have been killed in eastern Ukraine when a bus hit a land mine in a no man's land between separatist rebels and government troops.

The Kiev-controlled prosecutor's office for the Donetsk region said Wednesday that the driver and a woman in the bus were killed instantly and another passenger died of his wounds in the hospital after the bus drove over a land mine on the side of the road west of Donetsk.

The conflict between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian troops has claimed more than 9,000 lives since it began in April 2014. Despite several cease-fire deals, the fighting has never fully stopped.

International organizations have also raised the alarm about the land mines laid by both sides of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.