86 Killed, 186 Injured in ‘Terrorist’ Attack on Rally in Turkey’s Capital Ankara

ANKARA: Two explosions rocked Turkey’s capital Ankara on Saturday, killing at least 86 people, mostly activists who had gathered for a peace rally organised by leftist and pro-Kurdish opposition groups.

Corpses of activists were seen strewn across the ground after the blasts, with the banners they had been holding lying next to them.

Sixty-two people died at the scene of the blasts and 24 more then succumbed to their wounds in hospital, Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu told reporters in Ankara. He said that 186 people were wounded.

A Turkish government official told AFP that the authorities “suspect that there is a terrorist connection,” without giving further details.

There were scenes of chaos after the blast, as ambulances searched for the wounded and police cordoned off the area.

Turkish police fired in the air to disperse demonstrators angered by the deaths of their fellow activists from the scene, an AFP correspondent said.

Amateur footage broadcast by NTV television showed smiling activists holding hands and dancing and then falling to the ground as the huge explosion went off behind them.

Initial reports spoke of a single explosion but Turkish media said later there had been two separate blasts in short sequence.

The authorities were exploring the possibility that the blasts could have been caused by a suicide bomber, the official Anatolia news agency said.

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Source:Ndtv

turkey ankara blast