New Update 1:03 PM: The blast in Ankara reportedly did a significant amount of damage. A witness told the BBC that “the explosion has totally destroyed the building. Buildings and cars within one kilometres [sic] have been damaged.”
“After the explosion black smoke rose from the building but there was no flame.”
The large boom from the Ankara blast could be heard in many parts of the city, and caused the building’s windows to be blown out from the force of the explosion, according to television footage. The reason for the explosion is yet unknown, but it’s currently expected that it was a gas explosion. Whether the explosion was an unfortunate accident or deliberate remains to be seen.
New Update 12:51 PM: The blast in Ankara was reportedly a “large explosion” that took place near Turkish parliament in the in the Çukurambar region of the city. Express reports that a user on Twitter tweeted that “I can confirm I just heard the most enormous explosion in #Ankara. No idea what.” The cause of the explosion has yet to be confirmed, but there’s a possibility that it’s a terror attack given the several attacks in recent months as well as the recent unsuccessful, albeit violent, attempt at a military coup back in 2016. There was another attack on parliament buildings during that time as well. Since that point, the region has been largely unstable, with this most recent explosion possibly the latest in a group of terror attacks on Ankara.
The city’s governor Ercan Topaca has recently stated that the explosion had taken place at a tax office. He said that the building was currently empty and that an investigation was taking place. “The explosion was in the boiler room of the Çukramrambar Tax Office, “said Topaca. The blast in Ankara originating from a boiler room could suggest a simple equipment malfunction, but given the recent political climate and the size of the explosion, there’s still a possibility of foul play.
A blast was recently heard in the Turkish capital of Ankara, on Thursday and ambulances are currently rushing to the scene, according to Reuters. Not much is known about the blast so far, but the area has dealt with a large amount of unrest in recent months so it’s possible that the blast is terror-related. With emergency services rushing to the scene, it’s expected that there were at least injuries and possibly death. We will continue to update this article as more information comes in and we learn more about what exactly happened with the blast in Ankara.
