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| Two explosions hit Kurdish political rally in Turkey | Two explosions hit Kurdish political rally in Turkey |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| Two people died and more than 100 have been injured after two explosions at a Kurdish party election rally in southeast Turkey, the agriculture minister, Mehdi Eker, said. | Two people died and more than 100 have been injured after two explosions at a Kurdish party election rally in southeast Turkey, the agriculture minister, Mehdi Eker, said. |
| The blasts occurred five minutes apart on Friday at the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) final election rally as party leader Selahattin Demirtas was preparing to address the crowd in Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast. | The blasts occurred five minutes apart on Friday at the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) final election rally as party leader Selahattin Demirtas was preparing to address the crowd in Diyarbakir, the main city in Turkey’s predominantly Kurdish southeast. |
| It wasn’t clear how many of the injured were seriously hurt. Health minister Mehmet Müezzinoglu earlier said about 50 people were injured, with 20 to 24 of them being treated in hospitals. | |
| Rally organisers first said a malfunctioning power distribution unit caused the explosions, but energy minister Taner Yildiz later dismissed that explanation. He said they were caused by “external interference” with the power unit, though he did not say whether he believed a bomb was involved. | |
| The explosions come at a tense time, two days before Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Turkey in which Kurdish votes will be critical. | The explosions come at a tense time, two days before Sunday’s parliamentary elections in Turkey in which Kurdish votes will be critical. |
| The party is vying to pass the threshold of 10% of total votes required to take seats in parliament. If it succeeds, it could make it impossible for the ruling AKP to reach a supermajority. That would scuttle the AKP’s ambitions to change Turkey’s parliamentary system, using a new constitution, into a presidential system that could give president Recep Tayyip Erdogan executive powers. | |
| Prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said authorities would investigate the cause of the explosions. | Prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu said authorities would investigate the cause of the explosions. |
| “Whatever is behind this incident – whether it was a power transformer explosion, an assassination attempt, an act of provocation – we shall investigate it,” he said. “I call on my brothers in Diyarbakir: please beware of exploitation of the incident and provocations. No one should be involved in provocations.” | “Whatever is behind this incident – whether it was a power transformer explosion, an assassination attempt, an act of provocation – we shall investigate it,” he said. “I call on my brothers in Diyarbakir: please beware of exploitation of the incident and provocations. No one should be involved in provocations.” |
| Related: Why Turkey's elections could upend its politics – the Guardian briefing | Related: Why Turkey's elections could upend its politics – the Guardian briefing |
| The rally was cancelled but a large group of youths remained at the site, protesting against the explosions. Some threw stones at a police water cannon that moved in to disperse the crowd. | The rally was cancelled but a large group of youths remained at the site, protesting against the explosions. Some threw stones at a police water cannon that moved in to disperse the crowd. |
| Demirtas urged calm. “Whatever the cause, I invite the people to retain their common sense,” he told CNN-Turk television. “Whatever happens, Turkey is in need of peace.” | Demirtas urged calm. “Whatever the cause, I invite the people to retain their common sense,” he told CNN-Turk television. “Whatever happens, Turkey is in need of peace.” |
| He said some of the injured had lost limbs. | He said some of the injured had lost limbs. |
| Earlier this week, assailants fired on a HDP campaign vehicle, killing its driver. Last month, bombs at two HDP offices injured six people in southern Adana and neighbouring Mersin. |