Thousands of mourners gathered in southeast Turkey Friday for the burials of 35 civilians killed in a Turkish air raid.

Turkey confirmed Thursday that those killed in the airstrikes near the Iraqi border were smugglers the military mistook for Kurdish rebels.

Those mourning the victims Friday labeled Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “murderer.”

Mr. Erdogan called the incident “unfortunate” and said no state would intentionally bomb its own people. He said the F-16 planes struck after drone images showed a group of 40 people in the area, and that they were later determined to be smugglers transporting cigarettes and fuel. Turkish President Abdullah Gul also commented on the raid, saying the government is “very sorry.”

The Kurdistan Workers Party rebel group, or PKK, has waged a nearly 20-year fight for more Kurdish autonomy in Turkey. The fighting has killed tens of thousands.

Turkey, the European Union and the United States regard the PKK as a terrorist group.