UPDATES WITH NUMBER OF CASUALTIES WITH GOVERNOR’S STATEMENT, EDITS THROUGHOUT
By Mesut Varol and Ozkan Bilgin
VAN, Turkey (AA) – At least 50 people were wounded in a bomb attack near the governor’s office and the headquarters of the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party in the southeastern province of Van on Monday.
A car bomb exploded at 10.50 a.m. local time (0750GMT) near a police station in front of the offices. Two of the injured were said by Governor Ibrahim Tasyapan to be in a critical condition.
Four of the injured were police officers, he said.
“A bomb-laden car exploded outside a police checkpoint around 10 seconds after it was noticed by security forces,” Tasyapan added. He said an unidentified person was seen moving away from the car shortly before the blast.
The attack heavily damaged the AK Party building and a nearby hotel. Windows of nearby houses and storefronts were also shattered in the blast.
There was no claim of responsibility by the PKK terror group which has previously used car bombs to target security forces in the region.
