A blast caused by a suicide car bombing hit the center of Ankara on Sunday evening. The explosion resulted in over a hundred casualties.
According to initial reports, at least 33 people were killed and 75 injured in the explosion, a statement released by the Governor of Ankara said.
The blast occurred near Guven Park in the city center.
The suicide car bomb went off at 6:43 pm local time (16:43 GMT), Turkish broadcaster TRT said.
The site of the blast is close to a courthouse and buildings housing the country’s justice and interior ministries.
What appears to be CCTV cam footage was posted on YouTube that allegedly shows the moment of the explosion. A couple of buses can be seen in the video, before a passing by car slows down near them and a huge blast is seen.
The blast was caused by “explosive-laden vehicle,” Reuters reported citing Ankara governor’s office.
The blast appears to have been triggered by a car exploding near a bus stop, TRT said. Guven Park adjoins a major transportation hub.
“It’s a car bomb, [it happened] in the heart of Ankara… and today is Sunday, many people may be outside,” Turkish journalist Onur Burcak Belli told RT by phone, adding that the scene of the blast is “very close to a shopping mall” and that “many cars are on fire and apparently a public bus is also on fire.”
“I was nearby when I heard the explosion, and there were casualties all around… the numbers of dead are increasing,” an eyewitness told RT by phone, adding that “the explosion was actually bigger than the last one in Ankara.”
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
A security official said that initial findings suggest the attack was carried out by Kurdish PKK fighters or a group affiliated with them, Reuters reported.
Images allegedly showing the aftermath of the explosion emerged on social media. A huge fire could be seen in some of them.
A large cloud of smoke rising into the dark could also be seen from the distance.
Numerous loud sirens could be heard in a Periscope transmission from the scene, in which people can be seen running by, with some screaming.
