Turkey has declared three days of national mourning after two explosions at a peace rally in Ankara killed at least 95 people on October 10, the deadliest ever such attack in the country.
Ankara attack left 245 people injured, with 48 of them in a serious condition.
The government called the two explosions a “terrorist act” and angrily rejected allegations that it was to blame.
PM Ahmet Davutoglu said there was evidence that two suicide bombers had carried out the attack, which comes three weeks before a re-run of June’s inconclusive parliamentary elections.
Photo Getty Iamges
The two explosions took place near Ankara’s central train station as people gathered for a march organized by leftist groups demanding an end to the violence between the Kurdish separatist PKK militants and the Turkish government.
The blasts happened shortly after 10:00 local time as crowds gathered ahead of the rally. Amateur video footage showed a group of young people holding hands and singing, as the first blast hits.
No group has said it carried out the attack, but PM Ahmet Davutoglu suggested that Kurdish rebels or the Islamic State (ISIS) group were to blame.
According to terrorism experts, the attack is similar to one that was carried out in Suruc in southern Turkey by ISIS in July in which 30 people died.
However, the leader of the pro-Kurdish HDP party, whose members was among those attending the rally, has blamed the state and cancelled all election rallies.
The HDP has previously blamed the government for colluding in attacks on Kurdish activists, which the government denies.
At least 86 people have been killed and other 186 injured after two explosions hit Turkey’s capital Ankara during a peace rally, according to officials.
TV footage showed scenes of panic and people lying on the ground covered in blood, amid protest banners.
The twin blasts took place near Ankara’s central train station as people gathered for a march organized by leftist groups.
The attack is the deadliest of its kind in modern Turkish history.
PM Ahmet Davutoglu has announced three days of national mourning, and said there was evidence that two suicide bombers had carried out the attacks.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the attack, which comes weeks before an election, was an act of terrorism and was “loathsome”.
The rally was demanding an end to the violence between the Kurdish separatist PKK militants and the Turkish government, and had been due to start at 12:00 local time.
The pro-Kurdish HDP party was among those attending, and it said in a statement that it believes its members were the main target of the bombings.
The leader of the HDP has blamed the state for the attack, which he called “a huge massacre”, and cancelled all election rallies.
The party has previously blamed the government for colluding in attacks on Kurdish activists, which the government denies.
The two explosions happened shortly after 10:00 local time as crowds gathered ahead of the rally. Amateur video footage showed a group of young people holding hands and singing, before the first blast.
Meanwhile, the PKK called on its fighters to halt its guerrilla activities in Turkey unless attacked first. A statement from an umbrella group that includes the PKK said its forces would “make no attempts to hinder or harm the exercise of a fair and equal election”.
Two people have been killed and other 10 have been injured after an explosion rocked the centre of the Turkish capital, Ankara.
The cause of the explosion remains unclear.
Thick smoke could be seen rising from the commercial area of Kizilay in central Ankara.
Two people have been killed and other 10 have been injured after an explosion rocked the centre of the Turkish capital, Ankara
A fire started briefly, but was quickly contained by firefighters, reports say.
Several vehicles were damaged and the glass in the windows of nearby buildings shattered, TV reports.
TV footages showed several parked cars ablaze in front of a local state authority’s offices.
Police have cordoned off the area. A bomb squad was also deployed to the location of the blast, reports say.
The injured people are said to have been taken to a city hospital.
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