DONETSK (Reuters) - The Euro 2012 Group D game between Ukraine and France was suspended in the fifth minute due to lightning and thunder as torrential rain poured down at the Donbass Arena on Friday.

Referee Bjorn Kuipers ordered the players to go back to the dressing-rooms with co-hosts Ukraine and France locked at 0-0.

Fans, officials and reporters ran for cover and UEFA said that "further information" would follow.

The stadium was almost empty five minutes after the match was interrupted.

(Reporting by Mike Collett and Simon Evans; Writing by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ed Osmond)