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Two dead, dozens injured in blasts at Kurdish rally in Turkey

By Danielle Haynes

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey, June 5 (UPI) -- At least two people died and more than 100 were injured Friday in two explosions at a Kurdish political rally in Turkey.

The Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) rally -- attended by thousands -- was held in the southeastern Turkish province of Diyarbakir two days ahead of the country's general election.

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Mehmet Mehdi Eker, a member of parliament from Diyarbakir, confirmed the death toll to the BBC.

It's unclear what caused the twin blasts -- separated by about 5 minutes -- though initial reports suggested they might have been caused by a faulty power distribution unit, Hurriyet Daily News said.

"Whatever is behind this incident ... whether it was a power transformer explosion, an assassination attempt, an act of provocation -- we shall investigate it and get the result as soon as possible," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

"As we have caught the perpetrators of attacks against the HDP in the past, we will catch any perpetrators here," he added.

Turkish Energy Minister Taner Yıldız denied the incident was an accident.

"There was an external intervention to the power distribution unit," he said. "Our inspection has clearly showed that the source of the explosion was not the power distribution unit. Its door was damaged with pressure coming from outside to inside and not vice versa."

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