Blast goes off kilometer from gov't buildings; Deputy PM claims explosion caused by bomb, but official says gas cylinder may be responsible.
By REUTERS, JPOST.COM STAFFAnkara blast R 311(photo credit: REUTERS/ Omer Kaya)
An explosion ripped through a line of parked cars in the Turkish capital Ankara on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding at least 15 others, the BBC reported.The blast struck the Kizilay neighborhood less than a kilometer from government buildings, including the prime minister's office, headquarters of the chief of general staff and several ministries.RELATED:'Istanbul bombing was Hezbollah strike on Israeli envoy'Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc suggested the blast was caused by a bomb, although Ankara's governor said it may have been caused by a burning gas cylinder.
"I've been informed that there was an explosion in a car on Kumrular Street, close to the PM's office, and there are heavy casualties," Arinc said. It was "either known or understood" the blast was caused by a bomb, he added.A plume of thick smoke rose above the heart of the city after the blast. Reuters reporters at the scene said a line of parked vehicles had been destroyed and an adjacent row of shops was damaged across the street from a primary school.Ambulances and fire engines rushed to the scene and police set up a security cordon while bomb disposal teams' sniffer dogs searched for any possible secondary device.Ankara governor Alaaddin Yuksel said a witness had reported that the blast was caused by a burning gas cylinder thrown into the street, which caused a fire that blew up a car. The incident was under investigation, he added.
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