Fire tore through a gambling hall in eastern Ukraine Thursday, killing nine people and injuring 11 others, officials said.

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the fire in the city of Dnipropetrovsk, said Emergency Situations Ministry spokesman Ihor Krol.

Ukraine's Interfax news agency reported that patrons heard a bang before the fire spread. Reuters quoted local police as saying initial observations suggested the fire began at one of the hall's many slot machines.

Krol said authorities haven't ruled out rules out any cause yet. Local firefighters had estinguished the blaze, he said.