Two bombs went off in a packed Istanbul square Sunday night, killing at least 15 and injuring more than 150 in what the city governor said was a "terror" attack. Many were wounded in the second explosion after they rushed to the area to help those hit in the first blast in the Gungoren neighborhood, witnesses said.
The governor's office said that 154 people were hurt. Of those, 15 were in critical condition, a government official at the scene conveyed. CNN-Turk television said police suspect that Kurdish rebels may be responsible for the attack. The city's governor Muammer Guler however downplayed speculation that members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) were behind for the blasts, saying it was too early to say who was to blame.
According to him, officials will study the images from surveillance cameras near the scene. "There is no doubt that this was a terrorist attack," Anatolia news agency quoted him as telling journalists at the site of the attack. "There were two devices (...) Both were in rubbish containers," he said.
"They exploded within 10 to 12 minutes from each other. After the first explosion people gathered and there was a second explosion which killed people."
© 2008 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
