At Least 34 Killed, 125 Wounded in Ankara Explosion

Meanwhile, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said at the same press conference that the blast was a “terrorist attack” directed against the civilian population.

“We condemn it. Those who perpetrated it will not achieve their objectives,” said the minister after explaining that the bomb exploded inside an automobile driving near the square with one or two suicide bombers on board just as it passed by a city bus.

The blast took place at 16:35 GMT near Guven Park and next to a police station and a bus stop.

According CNNTurk, the wounded – 19 of whom are in critical condition, the Health Ministry said – were admitted to nearby clinics, while the bodies of those killed remained at the site of the explosion.

This is the third major attack in Ankara, after a double suicide bombing last October that claimed the lives of more than 100 people and a Feb. 17 strike in which 30 people – mostly soldiers – were killed.