A suicide car bomb attack in central Ankara has killed 37 people and left 125 injured - 15 of whom are in a critical condition.
Authorities believe the attack, which occurred on 13 March, was carried out by two people, with the initial findings indicating that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group was responsible. They went on to say that one of the suspected perpetrators was a woman, who joined the PKK militant group in 2013. on Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the source said the woman, born in 1992, was from the eastern Turkish city of Kars,
This has been the second deadly attack blamed on Kurdish militants in the capital in the past month and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to bring "terrorism to its knees".
A vehicle burns after after the explosionMehmet Ozer/ ReutersEmergency workers respond at the scene after an explosion in Ankara's central Kizilay district in AnkaraDefne Karadeniz/ Getty ImagesA wounded survivor surveys the scene after a suicide car bomb ripped through a busy square in central AnkaraAdem Altan/ Getty ImagesView of the bus after the explosionMehmet Ozer/ Reuters
Emergency services carry an injured person, following an explosion in Ankara's central Kizilay districtDefne Karadeniz/ Getty Images
Police have since cordoned off the boulevard where the attack happened, while forensic teams examine the road for evidence. The Republican People's Party (CHP) has formed a crisis centre for relatives of the victims at its headquarters in Ankara as one of its members was among those killed in the blast.
Others waited outside the hospital for news of their loved ones.
A relative of a victim cries at forensic building as she wait for body of her relativeOzan Kose/ AFPRelatives of victims mourn at forensic building in Ankara the day after a suicide car bomb ripped through a busy square in central AnkaraOzan Kose/ AFPA family member of one of the victims mourns outside a morgue in AnkaraUmit Bektas/ ReutersRelatives of victims mourn at forensic building as they wait for bodiesOzan Kose/ AFPA family member of a car bombing victim mourns outside a morgue in AnkaraUmit Bektas/ ReutersForensic officers work on the site of a suicide bomb attack in AnkaraUmit Bektas/ ReutersBroken windows of a shop are seen from outside close to the site of a suicide bomb attack in AnkaraUmit Bektas/ ReutersSecurity officers work on top of a building close to the site of a suicide bomb attack in AnkaraUmit Bektas/ ReutersForensic officers work on the site of a suicide bomb attack in AnkaraUmit Bektas/ Reuters
A member of CHP, Mustafa Karabulut, spoke outside the hospital, where he was waiting for news of his wounded friend.
"We heard she was here so we came here. She is now being treated by neurosurgeons in intensive care. Doctors say she is in critical condition. We hope that she will get well. We want her to get well. Whoever is listening to me now, I want a prayer from you for Kubra. Please pray for her to be well and return to us."
Firefighters extinguishing a burning car after an explosion ripped through a busy square in central AnkaraMehmet Ozer/ AFPEmergency workers work inside a bus at the explosion site in AnkaraElif Sogut/ Getty ImagesPolice block all the roads leading to the scene of an explosion in Ankara, TurkeyDefne Karadeniz/ Getty ImagesPolice block all the roads leading to the scene of an explosion in AnkaraDefne Karadeniz/ Getty ImagesEmergency workers are seen on a bus at the explosion site in AnkaraElif Sogut/ Getty ImagesA Turkish police officer cordons off the site of the suicide bomb attack in AnkaraUmit Bektas/ ReutersPeople and security forces gather around the wreckage of a car at the scene of a blast in AnkaraErol Uceem/ AFPRescuers carry a victim on a stretcher at the scene of a blast in AnkaraErol Uceem/ AFP
The blast came as Turkey's security forces were set to launch large-scale operations against militants in two mainly Kurdish towns – Yuksekova, which is near the border with Iraq and in Nusaybin, which borders Syria – after authorities there imposed curfews, prompting some residents to flee. The military deployed large numbers of tanks near those towns as the curfews were announced.
Authorities have announced another curfew that will come into effect at 21:00 GMT in the city of Sirnak, near the border with Iraq, signalling that the military will be preparing to battle Kurdish militants there.
A damaged shop at the scene of the blast in AnkaraErol Uceem/ AFPForensic services and firemen work around burnt out taxi vehicles after a blast in AnkaraAdem Altan/ Getty ImagesThe wreckage of a bus is seen after an explosion in Ankara's central Kizilay district in Ankara, TurkeyDefne Karadeniz/ Getty ImagesA vehicle burns after the explosion in AnkaraMehmet Ozer/ Reuters
