ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Twenty-five Turkish soldiers have been wounded in the southeastern province of Hakkari due to an accident that occurred while firing heavy ammunition, the Defence Ministry said on Friday, adding seven soldiers were still to be reached.

The 25 wounded were transferred to hospital and are being treated, the ministry said, adding that an investigation had been launched into the accident.

The accident occurred at a base in Hakkari’s Semdinli region, which is located near the borders with Iran and Iraq, the Hakkari governor’s office said in a statement.

Turkey has in recent months carried out air strikes on bases of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, especially its stronghold in the Qandil mountains, where Ankara has also threatened to carry out a ground offensive.

More than 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK launched its insurgency in Turkey in 1984. It is designated a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.