9 killed in car explosion near Turkish-Syrian border

ANKARA - At least nine people were killed and some 30 wounded in a car blast on Monday near Turkey's southern border gate with Syria, private NTV news channel reported.

A bomb-set in a Syrian registered taxi caused the blast, which killed four Turks and five Syrians, Huseyin Sanverdi, mayor of Reyhanli town in Hatay province, told NTV.

Head of the Cilvegozu village Mahmut Iri was also quoted by media as saying that it was a car bomb carrying a Syrian plate.

Adnan Korkmaz, regional customs chief of the Cilvegozu border gate, said the blast occurred in a buffer zone of the border gate, where some humanitarian aid for the Syrian people were being processed.

Levent Gumrukcu, spokesperson of Turkish Foreign Ministry, also said the blast took place in the buffer zone, denying the blast was from a mortal shell from Syria.

A total of 15 vehicles, which were waiting in the zone for admission, were damaged by the explosion, according to NTV's report, adding that dozens of ambulances had been dispatched to the scene.