Some 77 residents from the Ukrainian-controlled town of Avdiyivka, which has come under massive militant attacks in the past five days, were evacuated on Wednesday morning, head of the Donetsk regional military and civilian administration Pavlo Zhebrivsky has said.

"As of 10:00 a.m., seventy-seven people had been evacuated. At total of 180 people are on the list, however, they plan to reschedule their departure either for the evening or for tomorrow," he told journalists on Wednesday morning after a meeting of the Avdiyivka emergency response center.

He also gave an update on the aftermath of the attacks. In his words, up to 20 houses near Avdiyivka's Old Town area have been destroyed by shelling. One house has completely been burnt down. One local resident has been wounded and taken to hospital.

A water pipeline was damaged somewhere near Avdiyivka, the village of Opytne or Pisky, he said. Up to three days are needed to identify the site and repair the pipe, moreover, the operation is complicated by ongoing attacks by militants, he said.

On Wednesday morning, militants continued using proscribed heavy weapons, namely Grad multiple rocket launchers, to shell Avdiyivka.

Doctors from Avdiyivka's municipal hospital reported that four wounded Ukrainian soldiers had been admitted between 08:00 to 10:00. One of them is undergoing surgery.