Nine wounded in Diyarbakir blast

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eight policemen and a civilian were wounded on Friday when a vehicle exploded in southern Turkey’s Kurdish populated province of Diyarbakir.

“While our police vehicle going on duty in Diyarbakır was passing by, an explosion occurred in a parked vehicle at 05:10 (02:10 GMT),” Turkish Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said in a tweet.

The Minister added that two people, believed to be the perpetrators of the blast, had been arrested, and announced a thorough investigation into the explosion.

Diyarbakir Governor Ali Ihsan Su labeled the attack as a “terroristic act” in a statement.

After the blast, an ambulance and police team arrived at the scene of the explosion.

The Diyarbakir governor’s office said the explosion had not killed anyone, but nine people who had been in the armored minibus had been taken to hospital.

Turkey's state-owned Anadolu Agency reported that seven out of the nine wounded have been discharged from the hospital, while two are still receiving treatment.

In November, a deadly explosion rocked Istanbul’s famous Istiklal Street, killing at least six people, including two girls aged nine and 15, and injuring a further 81. Turkey has blamed The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its Syrian proxies for the blast, while the PKK denies involvement in the attack.

By Dilzar Zubair