Kurd rebels blow up gas pipeline in eastern Turkey

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, May 24 (Reuters) - Kurdish separatist rebels blew up part of a natural gas pipeline on Tuesday in eastern Turkey, disrupting the flow of gas, officials said.

The explosion occurred in the early hours of Tuesday in a remote mountainous district of Agri province near the Iranian border, a senior official in the nearby town of Dogubeyazit, Rauf Ulusoy, told Reuters. The blast caused about 500,000 lira ($370,000) worth of damage, Ulusoy said. The gas flow has been halted while a team from the state natural gas company Botas works to repair the damage, he added.

Police have stepped up security measures in the area, Ulusoy said.

Turkey imports natural gas from neighbouring Iran.

Ankara blames rebels of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) for the deaths of more than 30,000 people since the group launched its armed campaign for an independent Kurdish homeland in southeastern Turkey in 1984.

Violent clashes between rebels and security forces have increased since the PKK called off a unilateral ceasefire in 2004. The PKK or groups linked to it have also carried out attacks on civilian targets across Turkey. ($1=1.35 Turkish lira)