4 blasts rock Ukraine only weeks before Euro 2012

AFP - Getty Images

A man tires to help a victim after one of the blasts in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk on Friday.

By Alastair Jamieson, msnbc.com

Updated at 7:39 a.m.: Four explosions within minutes rocked the center of the eastern Ukraine city of Dnipropetrovsk Friday, injuring at least?27 people in what prosecutors believe is a terrorist attack just weeks ahead of Europe's biggest soccer tournament.

At least nine children were hurt, The Associated Press reported.

The first blast occurred at a tramway stop, injuring five people, while the second injured seven people outside a movie theater, Emergency Situations Ministry spokeswoman Yulia Yershova told The Associated Press.

---

She said the third blast wounded three near a railway station and a fourth blast was also heard in the city center but it was not yet clear if anybody was injured.

Along with Poland, Ukraine is to be joint host of the Euro 2012 soccer tournament between June 8 and July 1. Dnipropetrovsk is among the cities that will host major games.

Authorities recently played down the likelihood of terror attacks during the tournament.

The English-language Ukraine Internet site Kyiv Post quoted the Interfax-Ukraine news agency as reporting that the regional prosecutor has opened a criminal case on counts of terrorism.

Al-Jazeera reported that the first explosion was caused by a bomb in a?garbage bin.?

More world news from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow us on Twitter: @msnbc_world

chrysler super bowl commercial christina aguilera madonna half time show fiat 500 abarth