At least 86 people are reported dead and 126 wounded after a pair of explosions struck a peace rally in the capital city of Turkey on Saturday.
{mosads}According to reports, the blasts struck minutes apart shortly after 10 a.m. local time in Ankara’s central train station as people gathered to call for an end to violence between Turkish forces and Kurdish rebels in the south.
The government swiftly condemned the “terrorist acts” that target “Turkey’s democracy and peace,” while the pro-Kurdish HDP party blamed the state. It was not immediately clear if the explosions were suicide bombings.
Both the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria and leftist militant groups have been blamed for past suicide bombings in Turkey.
The attack comes weeks ahead of Turkish parliamentary elections on Nov. 1, and several upcoming campaign events have now been cancelled.