Turkish president Erdogan vows to defeat terror as bomb kills dozens in Ankara

At least 34 people have died after a car bomb exploded in the Turkish capital Ankara, less than a month after a suicide car bomber killed dozens of military personnel and civilians in the city.
Mehmet Muezzinoglu, the health minister, said 30 of those killed had died at the scene, while the four others died in hospital. At least one or two of the dead were attackers, he said. He added that at least 125 people were being treated in hospitals, with 19 in a serious condition. The Ankara governor’s office also confirmed that the explosion was caused by a car bomb.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to defeat terrorists who have staged a series of attacks on Turkey in the past 18 months.
“These attacks, which threaten our country’s integrity and our nation’s unity and solidarity, do not weaken our resolve in fighting terrorism but bolster our determination,” he said in a statement.
According to local broadcaster TRT, a car exploded near a transport hub in an area that also houses many administrative buildings, including the justice and interior ministries, a court and a police station. A large number of fire engines and ambulances have rushed to the scene. There were reports of burnt-out busses and damage to several buildings. TRT said the area was crowded when the bomb went off at 6.43pm (1643 GMT), only blocks from the scene of a similar attack in February.

A reporter from another local news agency, Haber Turk, described a gruesome scene. “The explosion occurred on Atatürk Boulevard at a place where there are 10 bus stations. It is assumed that it was a suicide bomber. There is a vehicle that is mostly destroyed. It is impossible to give any numbers of those who were wounded. But there are many wounded people and burning cars.”

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