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Turkey election: 'Two dead' in blasts at Kurdish rally | Turkey election: 'Two dead' in blasts at Kurdish rally |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Two explosions at an election rally in Turkey's mainly Kurdish city of Diyarbakir have killed at least two and injured 100, officials say. | |
Thousands had attended the pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party (HDP) final rally ahead of Sunday's vote. | |
The cause of the blasts is not clear, and the HDP leader has called for calm. | |
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has described the blasts as a "provocation" intended to destabilise the upcoming general election. | |
HDP leader Selahattin Demirtas also said: "All our friends should very careful and not to give in to provocation." | |
The death toll was confirmed by Mehmet Mehdi Eker, a Diyarbakir MP and the country's agriculture minister. | The death toll was confirmed by Mehmet Mehdi Eker, a Diyarbakir MP and the country's agriculture minister. |
Speaking at his own election rally in the nearby city of Gaziantep, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promised an investigation into the explosion. | Speaking at his own election rally in the nearby city of Gaziantep, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu promised an investigation into the explosion. |
"Whatever is behind this incident... whether it was a power transformer explosion, an assassination attempt, an act of provocation - we shall investigate it and get the result as soon as possible," he said. | |
Energy Minister Taner Yildiz denied earlier statements that the explosion was caused by a fault in a generator at the rally site. | Energy Minister Taner Yildiz denied earlier statements that the explosion was caused by a fault in a generator at the rally site. |
"It suggests there was an outside agent," he said, without providing further details. | "It suggests there was an outside agent," he said, without providing further details. |
The fortunes of the HDP as seen as key to the result of Turkey's election. | |
Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said at least 20 of the people who were injured in the incident have been hospitalised, according to the Associated Press news agency. | Health Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said at least 20 of the people who were injured in the incident have been hospitalised, according to the Associated Press news agency. |
Under Turkey's electoral system a party needs to win 10% of the overall vote to enter parliament, which polls show the HDP are close to achieving. | Under Turkey's electoral system a party needs to win 10% of the overall vote to enter parliament, which polls show the HDP are close to achieving. |
If this does happen it may end the single party rule of President Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AK). | If this does happen it may end the single party rule of President Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AK). |