Death toll in Ankara bombing rises to 37

Police detain dozens of suspects in southern Turkish city of Adana following attack that also injured over 120

By Agencies 14 March 2016, 9:58 am

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Relatives of people wounded in an explosion in Ankara, Turkey, react as they arrive at a hospital to see their loved ones, March 13, 2016. (Osmancan Gurdogan/Depo Photos via AP)

Turkey’s health minister said Monday three more people have died from injuries suffered in a suicide car-bomb attack in the capital, raising the death toll to 37.

A senior government official said authorities believe Sunday’s attack was carried out by two bombers — one of them a woman — and was the work of Kurdish terrorists.

The bomber struck at around 6:45 pm Turkish time and the force of the explosion — which the CNN-Turk news channel said killed 23 people instantly — reduced several vehicles to charred husks and damaged nearby shops. In addition to the fatalities, over 120 other people were injured.

The state-run Anadolu Agency said police detained dozens of suspected militants in southern Adana city on Monday.

It was the second deadly attack blamed on Kurdish terrorists in the capital in the past month and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to bring “terrorism to its knees.”

The blast came as Turkey’s security forces were set to launch large-scale operations against militants in two mainly Kurdish towns after authorities imposed curfews, prompting some residents to flee.

On Monday, Turkey’s state-run news agency said the military had carried out airstrikes against Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq hours after Sunday’s bombing.