Turkey declared a national day of mourning Sunday after twin blasts in Istanbul killed 38 people and wounded 155 others near a soccer stadium — the latest large-scale assault to traumatize a nation confronting an array of security threats.

Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmuş said two bombs blasted; one suicide bomber self-detonated in the Maçka Park, and a car bomb was blown up on a nearby street. Kurtulmuş also noted that both blasts took place at an interval of 45 seconds. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said the twin bombings killed 39 people, seven of whom are civilians and 30 are police officers, and injured 155 people, including 14 people in intensive care unit.

Horror photos showed the full devastation of the blasts which seemed aimed at local riot police. Bodies were seen scattered on the streets near the stadium and one body was even retrieved off the roof of the arena. Turkey declared a one-day morning after the twin blasts ripped through the heart of Istanbul. Prime Minister Binali Yildirim also ordered flags to fly at half-mast. Funeral services for some of the officers killed in the attack started just after midday on Sunday at Istanbul’s police headquarters.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but two officials said suspicions were focused on Kurdish militants. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told the private news channel, CNN Turk, that “arrows point to the PKK.” He was referring to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which has waged a decades-long insurgency. That preliminary assessment was echoed by the interior minister.

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The explosion has also been caught live on the cameras of BJK TV.


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