Car bomb in SE Turkey kills child, wounds 15

By Yasin Dikme and Ferdi Turkten

UPDATES WITH CORRECTION OF VICTIM’S AGE & NUMBER OF WOUNDED, AND PM'S CONDEMNATION

SANLIURFA, Turkey (AA) – One boy was killed and 15 other people were injured in a car bomb attack in the southeastern province of Sanliurfa, the governor said Friday.

The governorate said that a ten-year-old boy was killed in the explosion near a housing complex for judges and prosecutors in the province’s Viransehir district. Sanliurfa Governor Gungor Azim Tuna had initially said the victim was three years old.

The blast occurred at 8.45 p.m. local time (1745GMT).

Tuna said a young man -- about 18-20 years of age -- parked the bomb-laden car near the housing complex.

“The terrorist attack was carried out by detonating the bomb-laden car via remote control. The housing complex was severely damaged,” Tuna added.

The child who died in the blast was the son of a court clerk, he said.

Tuna said that injured victims were sent to local hospitals.

The governor added that he briefed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the attack, and Erdogan expressed condolences for the victims, and especially for the boy who was killed in the attack, as well as a quick recovery for the injured.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that he condemned the bomb attack in Sanliurfa. "The terrorist organizations, which kill the innocence of children and intend to kill lives, will disappear with all their elements," he said.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag strongly condemned the attack.

“This terrorist attack was carried out against not only the judiciary but also our law, our justice, our nation, and our unity. No terrorist organization or terrorist attack will deter Turkey’s fight against terror,” Bozdag posted on Twitter.

Over the last year Turkey has suffered a number of attacks from terrorist groups such as Daesh and the PKK.

Last July the country also underwent a failed coup, blamed on the Fetullah Terrorist Organization, which martyred 248 people and injured more than 2,200.