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ANKARA (SW): At least 37 people have died after a car bomb exploded in the Turkish capital Ankara, less than a month after a suicide car bomber killed dozens of military personnel and civilians in the city on Sunday evening.
In his comments after the blast, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to defeat terrorists. “These attacks, which threaten our country’s integrity and our nation’s unity and solidarity, do not weaken our resolve in fighting terrorism but bolster our determination,” he said in a statement.
“Our people should not worry, the struggle against terrorism will for certain end in success and terrorism will be brought to its knees”, he added.
According to local broadcaster TRT, a car exploded near a transport hub in an area that also houses many administrative buildings, including the justice and interior ministries, a court and a police station.
A large number of fire engines and ambulances have rushed to the scene. There were reports of burnt-out busses and damage to several buildings. TRT said the area was crowded when the bomb went off at 6.43pm (4.43pm GMT), only blocks from the scene of a similar attack in February.
There were no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack.
Turkey has suffered a string of bloody terrorist attacks in the past 19 months, most of which were blamed on Isis militants, who are said to be responsible for at least four bomb attacks on Turkish soil since June 2015.
ENDS
