Irans official news agency IRNA quoted HosseinQassemi, the Iranian consul generalin the city of Erzurum, as saying that one of the injured people died of the wounds he received to his head. Qassemi said the identity and nationality of the victimis not knownyet, adding that all other passengers are in good condition.
The report saidIran's Consulate inErzurum is investigating the issue, adding that no group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.
However,Turkeys official Anadolu news agency attributed the assault toKurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)militants, sayingan Iranian national and a Turkish sergeant had diedfollowing a shooting at an Iranian bus travelling in the highway linking Dogubayazit in Agri to Caldiran in Van Province.
The attack was carried out at about 11:30a.m. local time (0830 GMT) in the Somkaya area near the village of Cetenli, Anadolusaid, adding thatPKK militants blocked the highway and then set fire to three 18-wheelers and two trucks. That was followed by shooting on a passingIranian bus, where one person was killed and three others were injured.
Special forces were then dispatched to the scene of the attack, prompting the militants to begin a gunfight which lasted about two hours and killed the Turkish sergeant.
The injured passengers and crew in the bus have been taken to a hospital in Dogubayazit. An image carried by Anadolu showed the bus carrying an Iranian license plate, with the combination of the digits showing that it was registered in the province of East Azerbaijan, which is located close to the Turkish border in northwestern Iran.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"]
Turkish police stand near a building, where two police officers were found shot dead at their home on July 22, 2015 in the Turkish town of Ceylanpinar on the border with Syria. (AFP Photo)[/caption]Anadolualso reported earlier on Friday that at least three people werekilled in a fresh gunfight in southern Turkey, aftersupporters of the PKK fired shots at police officers and workers in the vicinity of the town of Silopi, located near Turkeys borderwith Iraq.
The PKK, which seeks to gain self-rule, has been engaged in militancy in southeastern Turkey for decades. A shaky ceasefire between Ankara and the militants that had stood since 2013 was declared null by the PKK following Turkish airstrikes against the group in the wake of a bomb attack in Suruc, southern Turkey.
By Press TV
