Three dead in culvert explosion in eastern Turkey

ELAZIĞ – Doğan News Agency

One man and two of his children died in a bomb blast at a culvert on June 13 in the eastern province of Elazığ. 

Çetin Yıldırım, 33, Ensar Yıldırım, 9, and Ecrin Yıldırım, 3, were killed after a manmade bomb planted under a culvert near their home exploded at 17:00 p.m. as the three were passing by. The culvert where the explosion occurred is located on a river near the Hanönü hamlet of the Bozçanak village in the Palu district.

Locals rushed to the scene after they heard the loud explosion and notified the authorities when they saw the three dead bodies.

Several ambulances from the districts of Palu, Arıcak and Kovancılar were dispatched to the scene as well as local military forces and helicopters from the Elazığ Provincial Gendarmerie Command.

Gendarmerie forces cordoned off the explosion area and searched it with detection dogs to find out whether there were any other explosives nearby.

Soldiers from the Kayaönü Gendarmerie Station are reported to frequently use the road where the explosion happened. 

An investigation has been launched into the blast.

“According to the security forces’ initial inspection, it is not a terrorist act. The Palu Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched an investigation into the explosion. The cause of the incident will be made public after solid information is reached,” the Elazığ Governor’s Office said in a written statement.