DHAKA: A car bomb blast has hit a police headquarters in south-eastern Turkey, killing five people and injuring at least 36.

Quoting local media, BBC reported on Thursday.

A woman and a baby were reported among the dead. Rescuers are searching through the rubble at the scene in Cinar district, Diyarbakir province.

Officials blamed the blast on Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK) militants, who are active in the mainly Kurdish province.

The bomb was detonated at the entrance of the police building. The blast also damaged nearby residential buildings.

The attackers then reportedly fired rockets at the headquarters.

Diyarbakir province has seen violent clashes between PKK separatists and the Turkish army in recent months.

Last year, the city of Diyarbakir and a number of other areas in the south-east were put under curfew as part of a security crackdown.

Turkey is also part of a US-led coalition that has been carrying out air strikes against Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq and Syria.

However, Ankara has been accused of hitting mostly PKK targets, angering Kurds who are themselves fighting IS in the two countries.

BDST: 0921 HRS, JAN 14, 2016
SR