UPDATE - Officials condemn bomb attack in eastern Turkey

UPDATES WITH QUOTES FROM DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, EDITS THROUGHOUT

By Ozgur Ayaydin and Anil Bagrik

DIYARBAKIR/MERSIN, Turkey (AA) - Senior figures in the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party have “strongly condemned” Monday’s bomb attack in eastern Turkey, which injured at least 48 people.

AK Party Deputy Chairman Mehdi Eker said: “We all have to say ‘Stop’ to these traitors with our stance, statements, and prayers.”

His remarks came at a gathering in southeastern Diyarbakir province where he celebrated the start of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha.

Eker said residents of the region had stopped believing in the members of the PKK terrorist organization “because the public wants peace and brotherhood”.

Development Minister Lutfi Elvan also criticized the bombing on the first day of Eid -- one of the most important celebrations in the Islamic calendar.

Elvan was in the southern province of Mersin to exchange Eid greetings with officials, NGOs, civilians and the media.

Speaking at the provincial AK Party headquarters in northern Giresun province, Deputy Prime Minister Nurettin Canikli said PKK attacks were becoming more violent by the day.

“They are now committing attacks which directly target innocent civilians,” he said. “This is a sign that the terrorist organization has started to falter and fail utterly and that it will not be able to take shelter on this land anymore.”

A bomb-laden vehicle exploded at 10.50 a.m. local time (0750GMT) near a police station in front of the AK Party building in Van, injuring 48 people, including two police officers.

Two of the injured were in a critical condition, according to police chief Suat Ekici.

The blast heavily damaged the AK Party building and a nearby hotel. Windows of nearby houses and storefronts were also shattered in the blast.