Bomb blast kills 4, wounds 12 in Istanbul

Forensic officers work at the scene of a bomb blast in Istanbul June 22, 2010. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)
Four people were killed and 12 wounded after a roadside bomb struck a shuttle bus carrying military personnel in Istanbul on Tuesday.

Istanbul Governor Huseyin Avni Mutlu said that three of those killed were specialized sergeants and the fourth victim was the 17- year-old daughter of an officer.

The governor said two of the twelve wounded people were in critical condition while the rest of the wounded sustained no serious injuries.

The remote-control fragment bomb was detonated near a military lodging complex in the district of Halkali in Istanbul's European side at about 7:30 am, he added.

According to the semi-official Anatolia news agency, the blast took place in the Halkali district in the European side of the city as the bus carrying military personnel from the military lodgings was passing by a cemetery.

Up to now, there was no immediate claim of responsibility and it was not clear how many passengers were on the bus or how many of them were military personnel.

The blast came a day after Turkish military forces began a major deployment of troops and elite forces along the border with Iraq, as fighting intensified between Turkish armed forces and militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Source: Xinhua