At least 27 people were killed and nearly 100 others wounded in an explosion that rocked a gathering in Turkey's southeastern city of Suruc, the nation's interior ministry said Monday.
"The death toll is feared to rise," the ministry said in a statement, according to Anadolu Agency. The ministry blamed the explosion on a "terrorist attack" and sent a team of experts to Kurdish-dominated Suruc town.
"I saw more than 20 bodies. I think the number of wounded is more than 50. They are still being put into ambulances. It was a huge explosion, we all shook," an eyewitness told Reuters.
The explosion, targeting members of the pro-Kurdish group Federation of Socialist Youth Associations (FSYA), occurred in the garden of the Amara Cultural Centre close to the Syrian border, reported the BBC.
Media reports said around 300 members of FSYA were staying at the center and planned to travel to neighboring Syrian town Kobane. The association had tweeted pictures of its members eating breakfast at the center a few hours before the midday blast.
#Suruç Amara Kültür Merkezi'ndeyiz #Kobanedeyiz pic.twitter.com/HAa5I8kyyr
— Sosyalist Gençlik (@sgdf_basin) July 20, 2015
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast. Turkish officials said the explosion might have been a suicide bomb blast, reported AFP
"Turkey condemns the perpetrators of this heinous attack that targeted the peace environment, and offers condolences to the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded," the ministry statement said, according to Anadolu Agency.
"We call on everyone to stand together and remain calm in the face of this terrorist attack which targets the unity of our country," the ministry said, according BBC.
