Explosion rocks southern Turkish resort town

Explosion rocks southern Turkish resort town
The tourist city of Antalya in southern Turkey has been rocked by a bomb on Tuesday, causing a security clampdown as police hunt the bombers.
1 min read
25 October, 2016
The trade centre was closed by police after Tuesday morning's blast [AFP]


An explosion in the Turkish tourist resort of Antalya on Tuesday has injured around a dozen people, the city's mayor said.

According to Mayor Menderes Turel, the blast was caused by a car parked outside Antalya's Trade and Industry Chamber.

Turel said that the explosion may not have been a terror attack, although the cause remains unknown.

Other reports, including one from Turkey's NTV news channel, said that the blast may have been caused by a bomb.

Davut Cetin, head of Antalya's Chamber of Trade and Industry, told CNN that there were no fatalities. 

The blast occurred as workers were arriving at the Trade and Industry Chamber, hours before the city's mayor was scheduled to attend a meeting there.

The building's perimiter was sealed by police as a precaution against further incidents.

At present, Turkey faces security threats from Islamic State group militants and Kurdish seperatist fighters, both of whom have launched attacks inside Turkey in recent years.

Earlier this month, three rockets struck Antalya, although no casualties were caused.