Blast In Eastern Turkey Kills At Least Five

2 July 2004 -- Turkish police say at least five people were killed and 24 others injured today in a bomb attack that appeared to target an official car convoy in the east of the country.

The governor of Van province, Hikmet Tan, was traveling in the convoy but was not hurt.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but police said they suspect the rebel former Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) of being behind the attack.

The former PKK, which recently renamed itself Kongra-Gel, in June called off a long-standing truce with the central authorities.

Van province has long been a battleground between security forces and Kurdish secessionist rebels.

(AP/AFP)