UPDATE 4- Explosion hits southeastern Turkey

UPDATES NUMBER OF CASUALTIES, INTERIOR MINISTER'S STATEMENT, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Mesut Varol and Ozkan Bilgin

VAN, Turkey (AA) - At least 53 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 city 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.

Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 46 of the wounded had been discharged from hospital. “The remaining seven people are still receiving treatment,” he told reporters at the scene of the attack.

Earlier, Governor Ibrahim Tasyapan said two of the injured were in critical condition.

“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.