Two explosions have ripped through a pro-Kurdish peace rally in the Turkish capital of Ankara, leaving multiple casualties.
Witnesses described how the blast shook the ground at the road junction near the main train station in the centre of the Turkish capital Ankara, leaving body parts and debris all over the road.
The Ankara prosecutor have confirmed that at least 86 people have been killed and over 186 wounded in the blasts at 10.05am local time.
Video footage has emerged of protesters holding hands and dancing together just as the bomb is detonated in the background.
Seconds later, the blast tore through the crowd of people, maiming dozens of innocent bystanders.
Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu confirmed that 62 people were killed in the blast and a further 24 people have since died in hospital.
Emergency services have been struggling to deal with the sheer number of wounded people in the aftermath of the blast.
The flags and banners which were being used to promote Kurdish rights in the demonstration were turned into makeshift stretchers by protesters tending to the injured.
Although the attack has not been claimed by any terror group, the Turkish government suspects that the twin blasts was a ‘terrorist’ attack, an official said.
‘We suspect that there is a terrorist connection,’ a government official told AFP, asking not to be named.
Activists on the ground have confirmed that ball bearings and other pieces of deadly shrapnel may have been packed inside the device and were found at the scene.
The appalling attack came just as demonstrators were starting to march in protest against the conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish militants in southeast Turkey.
‘We heard one huge blast and then one smaller explosion and then there was a a great movement and panic. Then we saw corpses around the station,’ said witness Ahmet Onen.
‘A demonstration that was to promote peace has turned into a massacre, I don’t understand this,’ he said, in floods of tears.
‘This attack resembles and is a continuation of the Diyarbakir and Suruc (attacks),’ said Selahattin Demirtas, leader of the Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party. ‘We are faced with a huge massacre.’
‘Like other terror attacks, the one at the Ankara train station targets our unity, togetherness, brotherhood and future,’ said President Tayyip Erdogan, calling for ‘solidarity and determination’.
President Erdogan has cancelled his plans in Istanbul and three Turkish political parties have suspended election campaigning events today following the devastating attack.
In response to the attack, Kurdish rebels have announced a ceasefire against the government until after the elections.
Tensions remain high in the Turkish capital with reports emerging that Turkish police officers used tear gas and fired into the air to disperse angry protesters shortly after the blast.
Activists were heard chanting the slogan ‘police murderers!’ at security forces, outraged by the horrific attack.
The area was due to host an anti-government peace rally organised by several leftist groups later in the day, including the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP).
‘We are faced with a huge massacre. A barbaric attack has been committed,’ said the HDP’s leader Selahattin Demirtas.
The attack comes with Turkey on edge ahead of November 1 polls and a wave of unrest over the past few months.
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond condemned the attack on social media, describing it as ‘barbaric.’
‘Appalled by barbaric attacks in Ankara. My thoughts are with the loved ones of those killed and injured. UK stands with the Turkish people,’ he wrote.
Source : dailymail.co.uk
