DIYARBAKIR, June 15: (Turkey): A bomb exploded on Friday in the centre of Diyarbakir, the main city in mainly Kurdish southeastern Turkey, wounding at least seven people, authorities said.

The device, hidden in the saddle of a bicycle and left near a bus stop often used by soldiers, exploded at around 8:00 am (0500 GMT), the local prosecutors' office said in a statement. One of those wounded was a soldier.

The blast also shattered the windows of two shops and an apartment building, according to the television images from the scene. Two of the injured were in serious condition in hospital.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Diyarbakir is a hotbed of the outlawed separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

“The way the incident happened and the type of explosive used indicates who did it,” Interior Minister Osman Gunes said, in apparent reference to the PKK.

“We will make a more detailed statement after experts have completed their tests,” he said, according to Anatolia news agency.

The army has launched a large-scale crackdown against the PKK in the east and southeast.—AFP