A bomb attack was carried out on police lodging houses in Mersin, a southern Turkish province, on Monday evening, Turkey’s Interior Ministry reported in a statement.
A police officer was seriously injured in the blast and later died in the hospital, and four people, including another police officer, were injured, the ministry’s statement said.
According to the interior ministry, a bomb device that had been left far from the police building was neutralised by a bomb disposal team, and an armed suspect was detained.
Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said that the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) was responsible for the attack, which was carried out by two women who died during explosions. The PKK did not claim responsibility for the attacks.
Soylu said the two female attackers had opened fire targeting the police hut, and while the clash continued, the attackers detonated bombs they were carrying. The Interior Minister also said that the identity of one of the attackers had been determined.
Nearby residents filmed the two separate explosions followed by gunshot sounds, and some believe the death toll is higher than reported.
Mersin Mezitli Tece'de polisevine yönelik bombalı terör saldırısı olduğu yönünde görüntüler var. Şu sıralar Mersin’de olası hava saldırısına yönelik tatbikat amaçlı sığınaklara gidilmesi için belediye ve cami hoparlörlerinden siren sesleriyle sık sık anons yapılıyordu. #Mersin pic.twitter.com/VD95NqdMUv
— Ali Osman Önder (@aliosmanonder34) September 26, 2022