30 Dead, More Than 100 Injured in Turkey Wedding Attack

Ankara: At least 30 people were killed in an attack possibly carried out by a suicide bomber on a wedding party in the Turkish city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border, the local governor’s office has said.

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The blast took place at 10:50 pm (local time). Besides those killed, more than 100 people were injured, the office of Gaziantep governor Ali Yerlikaya said in a statement. The explosion is the latest attack to have rocked the key NATO member in a horrific year that has seen a string of strikes blamed on Kurdish and Islamist militants as well as a bloody July 15 botched coup.

Yerlikaya had earlier described the explosion as an abhorrent terror attack. It was not immediately clear who was responsible but a Gaziantep MP for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Samil Tayyar, said, “Initial information suggests it is Daesh (IS) who did this.”

A major city lying just 60 kilometres north of the Syrian border, Gaziantep has become a hub for Syrians fleeing the civil war in their country. But as well as refugees and opposition activists, there have long been fears it was home to a significant jihadist presence. Images from the scene showed bodies covered in white sheets while distraught relatives of the victims were comforted in the street.

Meanwhile, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said that the explosion may have been caused by a suicide attack, adding that the death toll might be higher than reported. Ambulances and police were dispatched to the area following the attack. Local media reported that the blast occurred at a mainly Kurdish-inhabited neighbourhood of the city, while local reporters and officials said that the family hosting the wedding is from Eastern Turkey.

Mehmet Erdogan, a ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) lawmaker for Gaziantep said it was not clear who was responsible for the explosion but there was a high possibility it was a suicide attack. The lawmaker added that it was the type of attack that could have been launched by the Islamic State (IS) group or the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The explosion took place in the Sahinbey district of the city which is said to have a large number of Kurdish residents, fuelling speculation of Islamic State (IS) jihadist involvement. Reports said the wedding had a strong Kurdish presence.