Explosion kills one, injures four in southeastern hotspot

DİYARBAKIR – Doğan News Agency

Tensions around Lice remained high on June 8 with Turkish soldiers adopting tight security measures on the highways crossing the district. DHA Photo

An explosion killed one and injured four others early June 9 in a southeastern Turkish district that has been at the center of deadly clashes between security forces and protesters incensed at the construction of new police stations.

The Diyarbakır Governor’s Office announced that an explosion occurred at 3 a.m. at a house in the Kıralan village of Lice in Diyarbakır. “A group of citizens delivered the body of woman around 4 a.m., saying she died due to the explosion. The body, burnt seriously, is at the morgue of Lice State Hospital,” the statement said.

Two of the injured are in serious condition at Lice State Hospital. Those who were injured told the police that a “picnic” type of gas cylinder exploded when they were preparing a meal. Prosecutors have initiated an investigation into the incident.

Clashes erupted between demonstrators and police June 8 during a funeral procession for one of the two Kurdish demonstrators who was killed by security forces during a raid on a road block in Lice on June 7, showing the dramatic escalation of tension in Turkey’s southeastern provinces.