3 killed, 40 injured in car bomb attack on Turkish police station near Iranian border

At least three people have been killed and around 40, including civilians, injured in a car bomb attack on a police station in Turkey’s eastern province of Van, which borders Iran, according to a local government statement.

The blast apparently targeted Iki Nisan police station in the central Ipekyolu district in the city of Van. Witnesses also reported gunfire in the area following the explosion, according to media reports.

Van'da bomba yüklü araç 2 Nisan Polisevi önünde patlad?, onlarca yaral? var. 3 sivilin öldü?ü söyleniyor. pic.twitter.com/HdqPIw7Gyg

— Halk Gerçe?i (@HalkGercegi4) August 17, 2016

Ambulances rushed to the scene to transport the wounded to a local hospital, Anadolu news agency reports.

BREAKING: Report of a car bomb attack on police station in #Turkey's eastern province Van, followed by armed clashes pic.twitter.com/iIL2wIiStp

— (((?lter Güven))) (@Guvenns) August 17, 2016

Three people were killed and another 40 injured in the blast, according to preliminary estimates, Van’s Office of the Governor said in a statement, adding that the wounded included two police officers and 38 civilians.

The statement added that the injured are being treated at a nearest hospital, while security forces have launched an operation to “arrest members of the separatist terrorist organization”.

Although no one has claimed responsibility for the attack yet, Turkish media pinned the blame on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is known to have targeted police and military installations in the past in its ongoing confrontation with Ankara.