Following explosions on the edge of Ukraine’s capital Kyiv, residents have continued to panic and flee for safety.

Aljazeera reports that on Thursday morning, long queues of cars formed from the city centre towards various exits out of Kyiv and people took cover in the city’s underground stations and other safe places.

Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons, reporting from Kyiv, said that just after 5am local time (03:00 GMT) the hotel he was staying at was “virtually shaking with the sound of explosions”.

“They weren’t in the city centre. They were in the distance. The sky was going orange and red and 15 seconds later you’d hear the explosion so it was some distance away initially. And then it got closer and we heard all across the country reports of explosions,” he said.

Simmons also said that at the moment, “there is a very eerie atmosphere in the centre of the city”.

“That’s because we are not sure whether armoured columns are heading in this direction,” he added.

There were also reports that the traffic jams formed from central Kyiv towards Zhytomyr and other exits from the city at 6am local time (04:00 GMT).

Meanwhile, local authorities have been urging Kyiv residents to stay at home.