Twin explosions outside Ankara’s main train station on Saturday morning targeted hundreds of people who had gathered to protest against violence between authorities and the Kurdish militant group, the PKK.
Turkish government officials said the explosions were a terrorist attack carried out by suicide bombers but no group has claimed responsibility. Turkey’s prime minister, Ahmet DavutoÄŸlu, called emergency meetings with government officials and the country’s security chiefs.
One of the bombers was identified as a male aged around 30 after analysing bodies at the scene, the pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak said.
DavutoÄŸlu said Islamic State, Kurdish or far-leftist militants could have carried out the bombing.
His office named 52 of the victims overnight and said autopsies were continuing. It said 246 wounded people were still being treated, 48 of them in intensive care.
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, condemned the double bombing, saying the attack targeted the country’s unity and peace.
“I strongly condemn this heinous attack on our unity and our country’s peace. No matter what its origin, aim or name, we are against any form of terrorist act or terrorist organisation. We are obliged to be against it togetherâ€, ErdoÄŸan said.
The president said there was no distinction between the terrorist attack in Ankara, which came just three weeks ahead of parliamentary elections, and the ones targeting the Turkish soldiers and police force.
Erdoğan urged people to be “against, not on the side of terror†and said the perpetrators of Saturday’s attack would be found in the shortest time and delivered to justice.
