Eight die in Turkish bombing
At least eight people were killed and dozens wounded when a car bomb exploded close to a police station in the southeastern Turkish town of Gaziantep today, a security source said.
TV footage from Gaziantep showed a bus and the surrounding area ablaze and smoke billowing into the sky as firemen tried to fight the fire.
Ambulances ferried casualties to hospital while anxious residents looked on.
"Unfortunately we lost eight citizens and nearly 60 people are getting treated at several hospitals according to our initial information," Erdal Ata, Gaziantep's governor, told reporters.
Turkey has opened a centre in Gaziantep to receive international aid for Syrian refugees fleeing the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey is struggling to cope with an influx of almost 70,000 Syrian refugees.
The explosion, which officials said was caused by a remote-controlled car bomb, is likely to further strain already tense relations between Turkey and its war-torn neighbour Syria.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but southeastern Turkey is frequently the scene of attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.
Turkey has accused Syria of supporting the PKK, which launched a separatist insurgency in the region 28 years ago during which more than 40,000 people have been killed.
"The PKK ... is trying to provoke our citizens by targeting the civilian population directly. Our citizens must remain cool-headed," Omer Celik, deputy chairman of the ruling AK Party, wrote in his Twitter account.
Reuters
