At least 27 people killed, 75 wounded in Turkey explosion

A car bomb killed 27 people in the heart of the Turkish capital Ankara on Sunday (March 13) and wounded 75 more, the governor’s office said, less than a month after a similar attack killed 29 people just blocks away.

The blast could be heard 2.5 km (1.5 miles) away and a large cloud of smoke could be seen rising over the city centre, a Reuters witness said.

A senior security official told Reuters that the blast appeared to have been caused by a suicide car bomb. A second security official said gunfire was heard after the blast. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The area, close to a courthouse and the Justice and Interior Ministries, was crowded when the explosion happened at 6:43 p.m. (1643 GMT), state broadcaster TRT said.

TRT said a vehicle had exploded at a major transport hub, hitting a bus carrying some 20 people near the central Guven Park and Kizilay Square.