Turkish car bomb suspects arrested

(CNN) -- Four suspects have been arrested in connection with Thursday's car bomb blast that killed five people and wounded dozens in southeastern Turkey, according to the chief prosecutor in Diyarbakir.

In a nationally televised address broadcast from Ankara, Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan blamed terrorists for the blast -- which struck a bus -- but offered no evidence.

The Anatolian News Agency put the number of wounded at 68, with six of those reported to be in critical condition.

Durdu Kavak, chief prosecutor for Diyarbakir -- where the blast happened -- issued a statement to CNN Turk on Friday announcing the arrest of four suspects.

A local official said that some 40 kilograms (88 pounds) of A-4 plastic explosives were used in the bombing, reported The Associated Press on Friday.

Security officials told CNN Turk that the device was detonated by remote control as the civilian bus, which was carrying military personnel, drove through a busy section of the city center.

The blast occurred about 4:55 p.m. (9:55 a.m. ET), damaging nearby buildings and incinerating at least six vehicles, most of them parked cars. Watch the aftermath of the attack »

The blast shattered the windows of buildings nearby, including one packed with students preparing for university entrance exams.

Kavak said that four of the five dead were students, according to The Associated Press.

The area affected included a shopping mall, a luxury hotel, a military post and military housing.

The wounded were taken to a military hospital in Diyarbakir, a largely Kurdish city.

It is the largest city in southeastern Turkey, with a population of 1.5 million, and is a cultural, commercial and military center.

The city had been quiet since September 12, 2006, when a bomb killed more than 10 people, five of them children.

Authorities have blamed Kurdish rebels for the latest attack, according to The Associated Press.

It reported that, after Thursday's bombing, paramilitary police seized more than 140 pounds of explosives in two separate operations across the country.

At least 30 pounds of C-4 plastic explosives were found in Bursa province, one of Turkey's commercial centers, and a man who was driving a minibus where the explosives were found was detained.

Another minibus with more than 110 pounds of explosives and hand grenades was found by security forces in Van, on the eastern tip of Turkey near the border with Iran, state-run Anatolia news agency said.

Last month Turkey said it had killed between 150 and 175 Kurdish militants in strikes in northern Iraq in December.

The operation was part of the Turkish military's long-running fight against rebels from the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which has been launching cross-border attacks against Turkey from Iraq.

The PKK has spent two decades fighting for autonomy for Kurds in southeastern Turkey.

The United States and European Union consider the group a terrorist organization. E-mail to a friend

CNN producer Talia Kayali in Atlanta contributed to this story

Copyright 2008 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.

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