Investigation launched after explosion in Turkey

A bomb blast has killed at least eight people, the majority of them children, in the largest city of the south-eastern region of Turkey. Police say the explosion, apparently triggered by a mobile phone, shattered the windows of nearby houses and offices in Diyarbakir. Sixteen people were injured, several of them seriously. The blast is the latest in a string of bomb attacks to hit Turkish cities, including tourist resorts, which have killed 12 people and wounded scores of others in recent weeks.

Diyarbakir is Turkey’s largest Kurdish-majority city. Rebels fighting for autonomy have recently stepped up their attacks. Kurdish separatists, particularly the outlawed PKK, oppose Ankara’s policies in the unsettled region. This latest explosion happened one day after the country’s main Kurdish political party called on the PKK to declare a ceasefire. However, there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

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