Report: 6 killed in munitions explosion on Turkish-Syria border

ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's state media says six people have been killed in an explosion caused by munitions they were bringing into Turkey from Syria as scrap metal.

The Anadolu Agency says the explosion occurred Tuesday on the Syrian side of the border. It said the victims were a Turk and five Syrians.

Nearly half a million Syrians have crossed into Turkey to escape the civil war in Syria.

Smuggling is rife across the 910-kilometer (566-mile) border and Turkish security forces have been battling gangs of smugglers who mostly are trying to sneak fuel into Turkey.