An ammunition depot exploded 176 kilometers east of the Ukrainian capital Kiev early Tuesday morning, the country's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

The blast in the northern Chernigiv region caused no casualties, the country's Defense Ministry said.

The evacuation of the areas surrounding the depot is underway, the ministry said in a statement.

According to the Chernigiv regional administration, people are being evacuated from 38 towns and villages.

The blast occurred at about 3:30 am local time (0030 GMT) at a depot near the town of Ichnya about 176 km east of Kiev, triggering a fire and the subsequent massive detonation of the ammunition.

The cause of the explosion is still unknown.

Last year, blasts occurred at three major arms storage facilities in central and eastern Ukraine. 

(With imputs from Xinhua)