A car bomb believed to have been planted by Kurdish separatists exploded close to a police station in the southeastern Turkish city of Gaziantep yesterday, killing at least seven people and wounding dozens more, security sources said.
Television footage showed a bus and the surrounding area ablaze as firefighters tried to tackle the fire. Ambulances ferried casualties to hospital as residents looked on.
The explosion was caused by a remote-controlled car bomb, Turkey's Dogan news agency quoted Gaziantep's governor Erdal Ata as saying. "Kurdish militants are believed to be behind the attack," said a security source.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility but southeastern Turkey has seen frequent attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the US and EU. The group launched an insurgency 28 years ago.
The violence is a headache for prime minister Tayyip Erdogan as he tries to limit the impact of the conflict in Syria, where the PKK is exerting growing authority.
