Fresh explosions shook the capital of the disputed Nagorny Karabak region late Saturday despite a ceasefire aimed at halting fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, an AFP journalist said. Seven loud explosions rocked the city of Stepanakert at around 23:30 pm local time (2130 GMT). Sirens rang out immediately warning residents to take shelter in cellars and safe places. Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a ceasefire after 11 hours of talks in Moscow, but they both accused each other of violating the deal on Saturday after it came into force at noon. The agreement did appear to have curbed fighting during the afternoon, however, with many residents of Stepanakert emerging from their homes during the lull in shelling and missile strikes. Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave in Azerbaijan, broke from the country's control in a war in the 1990s that killed some 30,000 people. Its separatist government is backed by Armenia, which like Azerbaijan gained independence with the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union. hba/lpt/ach/adp