Blasts Hit Kurdish Opposition Rally in Turkey Leaving Two Dead, More Than 100 Injured
Two people have been killed and more than 100 injured after successive explosions hit a rally in south-eastern Turkey, with the country's prime minister saying the incident was designed to undermine peace two days ahead of legislative elections.
The blasts went off at an opposition rally of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) in the city of Diyarbakir, agriculture minister Mehdi Eker was quoted as saying by local media.
Guy Martin, a British photographer who witnessed the blast, said the explosions occurred five minutes apart - the first in a rubbish bin and the second in front of a power generator.
"The most terrifying thing is that crush of people. It was chaos, I couldn't move, people were panicking," he said.
In the aftermath, Mr Martin said he saw one person who had lost a leg and others with shrapnel wounds.
"The police started firing teargas at people who were helping the injured or fleeing the scene ... this inflamed the situation." he added.
Turkey is due to hold a parliamentary election on Sunday.
Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu earlier said it was unclear if the blasts were an accident or an attack.
However he has since condemned the explosions as a "provocation".
Initial reports said that the explosions were blamed on an electrical transformer at the rally.
But energy minister Taner Yildiz said that the nature of the damage meant the blasts were likely caused by an external factor.
The Young Turks
As Turks head to the polls, six young Istanbul residents talk about the issues they grapple with in this rich and contradictory nation.
"It suggests there was an outside agent," he said, without giving further details.
HDP chairman Selahattin Demirtas called on his supporters to remain calm.
"We don't know the cause of the blast," he said.
"It is thought-provoking that this occurred so close to the election."
Medical sources in Diyarbakir said 133 people were taken to two hospitals in the city, 25 of them in a serious condition.
Eight people were undergoing emergency surgery, the sources added.
Initial reports said there was a 10-minute space between the two blasts, and that it was the second which caused the most damage.
Tensions have run high as the HDP campaigns to become the first party with Kurdish origins to win seats in parliament in Sunday's election.
Previously, Kurdish MPs have joined the legislature as independents.
The HDP needs to overcome a 10 per cent vote threshold, and some opinion polls show it could seize enough seats to deprive the long-ruling AK Party of the majority it has enjoyed since sweeping to power in 2002.
AFP/Reuters
The blasts went off at an opposition rally of the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) in the city of Diyarbakir, agriculture minister Mehdi Eker was quoted as saying by local media.
Guy Martin, a British photographer who witnessed the blast, said the explosions occurred five minutes apart - the first in a rubbish bin and the second in front of a power generator.
"The most terrifying thing is that crush of people. It was chaos, I couldn't move, people were panicking," he said.
In the aftermath, Mr Martin said he saw one person who had lost a leg and others with shrapnel wounds.
"The police started firing teargas at people who were helping the injured or fleeing the scene ... this inflamed the situation." he added.
Turkey is due to hold a parliamentary election on Sunday.
Turkish prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu earlier said it was unclear if the blasts were an accident or an attack.
However he has since condemned the explosions as a "provocation".
Initial reports said that the explosions were blamed on an electrical transformer at the rally.
But energy minister Taner Yildiz said that the nature of the damage meant the blasts were likely caused by an external factor.
The Young Turks
As Turks head to the polls, six young Istanbul residents talk about the issues they grapple with in this rich and contradictory nation.
"It suggests there was an outside agent," he said, without giving further details.
HDP chairman Selahattin Demirtas called on his supporters to remain calm.
"We don't know the cause of the blast," he said.
"It is thought-provoking that this occurred so close to the election."
Medical sources in Diyarbakir said 133 people were taken to two hospitals in the city, 25 of them in a serious condition.
Eight people were undergoing emergency surgery, the sources added.
Initial reports said there was a 10-minute space between the two blasts, and that it was the second which caused the most damage.
Tensions have run high as the HDP campaigns to become the first party with Kurdish origins to win seats in parliament in Sunday's election.
Previously, Kurdish MPs have joined the legislature as independents.
The HDP needs to overcome a 10 per cent vote threshold, and some opinion polls show it could seize enough seats to deprive the long-ruling AK Party of the majority it has enjoyed since sweeping to power in 2002.
AFP/Reuters
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