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At least 34 dead after car bomb in Turkey capital city Ankara

By Amy R. Connolly and Shawn Price
Turkish police put up barriers Istanbul's tourist hub of Sultanahmet, Turkey, in February. A bomb was detonated in Ankara on Sunday night, killing at least five people. Photo by Ali Turkel/UPI
Turkish police put up barriers Istanbul's tourist hub of Sultanahmet, Turkey, in February. A bomb was detonated in Ankara on Sunday night, killing at least five people. Photo by Ali Turkel/UPI | License Photo

ANKARA, Turkey, March 13 (UPI) -- At least 34 people are dead and 125 were wounded after an explosion near a main bus station in Ankara in the third major blast in the Turkish capital city since October.

Dogan News Agency said a suicide bomber crashed into a bus about 6:35 p.m. local time in Guvenpark. Several vehicles caught fire in the explosion and buildings were damaged.

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Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is convening an emergency security meeting. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is in Istanbul, was briefed on the situation.

Officials are in the early stages of the investigation, so few details are immediately available.

No group has yet claimed responsibility, though early evidence revealed the bomber to be a woman and Turkish officials believe it might be the work of Kurdish militants.

The Peoples' Democratic Party condemned the bombing. The PDP is a Turkish pro-Kurd group often accused of being connected to the outlaw Kurdistan Workers' Party. The PDP said it shared "the huge pain felt along with our citizens".

Erdogan made it clear his government would use its military to prevent further attacks and vowed to bring "terrorism to its knees."

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A Turkish court also banned social media, attempting to keep photos of the carnage from spreading.

The explosion comes amid growing tensions in the area. More than 100 people died in October when a bomb was detonated during a peace rally near the Ankara railway station. In February, 29 people were killed and 81 were injured when a suicide bomber targeted military personnel in the same area.

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