A man speaks on the phone near the site of a bank robbery at a PrivatBank branch in Donetsk December 29, 2011. [Photo/Agencies]

KIEV - At least 5 people were killed during a bank attack in the eastern Ukraine, the press service of the Privatbank said in a statement Thursday.

The robbery took place at 3 pm local time (1300GMT) in Privatbank in the center of Donetsk city. Four bank employees and a security officer were killed at the scene, said the statement.

Police confirmed the robbery, but declined to give more details.

The Privatbank's Chairman Alexander Dubilet expressed condolences to the families of those killed and called on the public to assist the police in apprehending criminals. A 125,000-US dollar reward has been offered to anyone with helpful clues.