4 civilians killed, 15 reported missing in massive PKK bombing in Diyarbakır village

DİYARBAKIR

Four civilians were killed and 15 people were reportedly missing after a massive bombing by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in a village in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır late on May 12.



The bombing, which also left 23 people wounded, was carried out after an argument between villagers and PKK militants, the Diyarbakır Governor’s Office said in a statement.



“It is thought that an explosive-laden dump truck was detonated in Dürümlü by the members of the separatist terrorist organization [PKK] after it was followed by the villagers as a result of an argument between the militants and the villagers while the truck was passing through the Tanışık village,” the statement read on May 13, adding that four villagers who were following the truck were killed in the bombing that took place at around 10:30 p.m.



“The wounded citizens were taken to hospitals in the province and their [medical] treatments were started. The necessary investigations have been launched regarding the villagers reported missing,” the statement added.



Villagers were looking for body parts around a huge crater caused by the blast, which created a hole with a depth of five meters.



The target of the bomb-laden truck was a nearby gendarmerie station and the truck had been brought to the Tanışık village as it was the closest point to the station, according to another report on the attack.



The group monitoring the gendarmerie station and directing the truck allegedly told the militant in the vehicle to go towards the station twice, but wanted it to go back both times due to an unknown reason.



The truck reportedly caught the attention of local villagers when it went back to the point twice and the villagers, who became suspicious, wanted to learn what the driver was trying to do.



The villagers took up arms on their way to the truck and blocked the road with two cars. An argument started between the villagers and the driver, who told the group that he had lost his way, according to reports.



The driver then allegedly drew his gun and told the villagers that they were planning an attack on the gendarmerie station and asked them to not intervene. The driver opened fire on the villagers, who wanted to prevent the militants from attacking the gendarmerie station, as they called the gendarmerie to report the issue.



Several people were killed and wounded as a result of the clashes that erupted between the driver and the villagers and the explosion occurred when a bullet hit the detonator in the truck, according to reports.



“When the truck arrived in the village, the villagers argued with the person in the truck. It then became a fight where weapons were used,” the villagers said, while calling on the authorities to find their missing relatives.



“We thought the apocalypse happened. We immediately went to the scene. We know that four people died. Most of them are our relatives. 15 villagers are missing. We will bury the bodies we received today,” the villagers added.



A large scale investigation was launched into the attack.

