Dozens of casualties in blast at Ankara train station

An explosion hit Ankara train station Saturday morning leaving dozens of people dead and injured, according to sources.

An Anadolu Agency correspondent at the scene said there were bodies and wounded people lying in front of the station on Hipodrum Street, where people had started to arrive for a peace rally in Ankara.

Emergency services raced to the scene following the blast at 10.05 a.m. local time (0705GMT).

There was an early claim the blast was caused by a suicide bomber but there was no confirmation.

Many people had gathered outside the station for a demonstration to be held in nearby at Sihhiye Square. The rally, organized by the Confederation of Public Sector Trades’ Unions (KESK), was to call for an end to the renewed conflict between the terrorist organization PKK and the Turkish state.