ANKARA –
A car bomb tore through a crowded transport hub in the Turkish capital, Ankara,
on Sunday, killing at least 34 people and wounding 125 in the second such
attack in the heart of the city in under a month.

The
blast, which could be heard several kilometres away, sent burning debris
showering down over an area a few hundred metres from the Justice and Interior
Ministries, a top courthouse, and the former office of the prime minister.

Meanwhile,
Australia’s ambassador to Turkey, Jim Larson, escaped the attack.

He was reportedly
20 metres from the site of the blast in the city’s diplomatic district.

Foreign
Minister Julie Bishop told Sky News Mr Larson was in his vehicle at the
intersection where the bomb went off.

“He is
fine, obviously shaken by what he saw, we don’t believe there are any
foreigners that have been killed or injured in the attack but investigations
are still under way,” she said.

“At this
stage I can confirm that there are no reports of Australian casualities,” Ms
Bishop said.

Two
senior security officials have told Reuters the first findings suggested that
the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency
for Kurdish autonomy, or an affiliated group, was responsible.

There
was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Interior Minister Efkan Ala said
the name of the group behind the attack would likely be announced on Monday
after initial investigations were completed.

“Tonight,
civilian citizens waiting at a bus stop were targeted in a terrorist attack
with a bomb-laden car,” Ala told reporters after a meeting with Prime
Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the head of the intelligence agency and security
chiefs.

“Significant
findings have been made, but the organisation behind this will be announced
once the investigation has been finalised,” he said.

NATO member Turkey faces
multiple security threats. As part of a United States-led coalition, it is
fighting Islamic State in neighbouring Syria and Iraq. It is also battling PKK
militants in its southeast, where a two to half-a-year ceasefire collapsed last
July, triggering the worst violence since the 1990s.

The bombing
came two days after the US Embassy issued a warning that there was information
regarding a potential attack on government buildings in the Bahcelievler area
of Ankara, just a few kilometres away from the blast site.

The United States condemned the
attack, saying in a White House National Security Council statement: “This
horrific act is only the most recent of many terrorist attacks perpetrated
against the Turkish people. The United States stands together with Turkey, a
NATO ally and valued partner, as we confront the scourge of terrorism.”

Health
Minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu said 30 of those killed had died at the scene,
while the four others died in hospital. At least one or two of the dead were
attackers, he said, and 19 of the 125 wounded were in critical condition.

 – With Reuters