An investigator walks through a gaming hall destroyed by fire in Dnepropetrovsk, May 7, 2009. A fire raced through a gaming hall full of slot machines early on Thursday, killing nine people and injuring 11, the Emergency Ministry said.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    KIEV, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Ten people were killed and 11 others injured early on Thursday when a powerful explosion ripped through a casino in the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk, the Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

A police officer guards the entrance to a gaming hall destroyed by fire in Dnepropetrovsk, May 7, 2009. A fire raced through a gaming hall full of slot machines early on Thursday, killing nine people and injuring 11, the Emergency Ministry said.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    "The blast took place in a slot machine hall of the Metro-Jack-Pot, which is located on the first floor of a five-story apartment house in Dnipropetrovsk. Nine people were killed on the spot and another died in hospital," an Emergency Ministry official was quoted as saying.

    The injured were admitted to local hospitals, the report said.

    An investigation into the cause of the explosion is being conducted.

    Viktor Bondar, head of the Dnipropetrovsk region, has signed a decree to shut down all gambling halls, nightclubs and casinos in the area until the cause of the explosion is determined, Interfax-Ukraine said.