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Turkey explosion: Blast heard near government building in Kurdish-dominated Derik

Local media says explosion was cause by bomb planted by the PKK

Caroline Mortimer
Thursday 10 November 2016 11:00 GMT
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Turkish rescue officials and people carry an injured man to an ambulance following a separate explosion in Diyarbakir (file photo)
Turkish rescue officials and people carry an injured man to an ambulance following a separate explosion in Diyarbakir (file photo) (Getty)

An explosion has been heard near a government in building in a Kurdish-dominated town in southern Turkey, local media reported.

The Dogan news agency said several ambulances had rushed to the scene but it is currently unknown whether they are any casualties.

The Hurriyet news website said the blast, in the Mardin district of Derik, was caused by a bomb. NTV reported that some people were wounded, with the district governor, Fatih Safiturk slightly hurt.

Turkey's Ihlas news agency said the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) were responsible for the blasts as part of a renewed insurgency following the decline in relations with the Turkish government last year.

There has been no immediate confirmation of the cause of the blast.

The PKK have carried multiple terror attacks across Turkey over the past year as the situation has deteriorated in which thousands of militants, security force members and civilians have been killed.

A two-year ceasefire with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government broke down last year and the group has been targeted as part of a wider crackdown on dissent following a failed coup in July.

President Erdogan has said he does not care about being labelled a dictator after his brutal crackdown has seen hundreds arrested and thousands more sacked for alleged links to the Gullenist movement which he blames for the attempted coup.

He accused Europe of "abetting terrorism" by condemning his crackdown on the PKK.

Meanwhile, terror group Isis have stepped up their attacks on the country in retaliation for strikes against their position over the border in Syria.

In June, an Isis attack at Istanbul's Ataturk Airport left 41 dead and a further 230 wounded as three bombers opened fire with AK-47s before detonating suicide vests.

Additional reporting by agencies

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