At least 86 killed as ‘suicide blasts’ tear through peace rally crowds

Twin explosions in the Turkish capital have killed at least 86 people, with 126 others injured, the country’s Interior Ministry has confirmed. The blasts occurred seconds apart outside Ankara’s main train station, where hundreds of people were gathering for a peace march. Footage from the moment of the first explosion shows a line of peaceful protesters chanting and holding hands - then running as soon as the bombs hit. Body parts and bloodstains are scattered across a major road junction, according to eyewitnesses.

Two bombs exploded in very short intervals. There was a massacre in the middle of Ankara

Lami Ozgen, head of the Confederation of Public Sector Trade Unions, which organised the march

The target was a march calling for “peace and democracy” and an end to the violence with the Kurdish separatist group, the PKK. Graphic images from the scene showed survivors resuscitating the wounded and several dead bodies draped in flags. One video showed a line of protesters holding hands and singing before a bomb explodes and a ball of flames shoots up into the air behind them. There were angry clashes between police and demonstrators in the aftermath of the blasts, other witnesses reported. Prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu is holding a meeting with his security chiefs.

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