30 killed, 94 injured in bomb attack in Turkey's Gaziantep

August 21, 2016 07:41

Thirty people were killed and 94 wounded when a suspected suicide bomber targeted a wedding celebration in the Turkish city of Gaziantep on Saturday, adding to a surge in violence this week in the mainly Kurdish southeast.

Ambulances raced to the scene and video footage from broadcaster CNN Turk showed police and emergency services workers rushing through packed streets in the city.

The attack appeared to have hit when a large group of people from a wedding party took to the streets in celebration, security sources said.

Islamic State militants were believed to be behind the attack, Samil Tayyar, a member of parliament from ruling AK Party said on Twitter, while Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek told broadcaster NTV the blast appeared to be the work of a suicide bomber.

Turkey faces multiple security threats from Islamic State militants at home and across the border with neighboring Syria as well as from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party.

A group of rogue Turkish soldiers last month attempted to overthrow the government, commandeering tanks, helicopters and warplanes in an attempted putsch that killed 240 people. The Ankara government has blamed on followers of the exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen, but Gulen has denied the charge.

Image used for representation only.

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