Five children among eight killed in Turkish blast

Eight people were killed when a bomb - believed to be triggered by a mobile telephone - detonated in the city of Diyarbakir in southeastern Turkey.

Five children were believed to be among the dead and 17 people were injured when the bomb exploded at a bus stop in the Baglar district of the city, at 9pm last night. Police set up checkpoints on major roads leading out of the city. No group has claimed responsibility.

Since late August, 12 people have died from bomb attacks in the country and up to 100 people have been injured. The Kurdistan Liberation Hawks, the separatist militant group that claimed responsibility for attacks in late August, has threatened to turn Turkey into "hell".

The group bombed a shopping area in the coastal resort of Antalya, killing three people and wounding dozens. The blast followed four bombs in the Mediterranean resort of Marmaris and in Istanbul that wounded 27 people.

The Hawks havebeen linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), who have fought a 20-year separatist war.