Explosion in southern Turkey’s tourist hub Antalya kills 10 people

Published October 25th, 2016 - 07:50 GMT
Police officers search a car during a security control check in central Ankara. (AFP/File)
Police officers search a car during a security control check in central Ankara. (AFP/File)

Antalya's Mayor Menderes Turel said, "10 to 12 people were slightly injured by flying glass."

The cause of the blast was yet to be identified.

Turel said, however, that the incident might have been an accident.

Turkey has been rocked by a wave of deadly bomb attacks in the past 18 months blamed either on the Kurdish militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) or the Daesh extremist group, which is active in neighboring Iraq and Syria.

Striking an artery of the economy

Last Friday, two rockets fired by unknown assailants struck Antalya. Hunt is on for suspected attackers, and 25 people have been arrested so far.

The province of Antalya is located next to the popular tourist areas of Marmaris and Bodrum, and just north of Cyprus. Situated on the sun-drenched Mediterranean coast, the Antalya region is one of Turkey's most popular tourist destinations.

Most recently, bomb explosions rocked the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, killing three police officers and injuring eight others.

Back in August, an attacker tied to Daesh struck a wedding in Gaziantep, killing 57 people, including 34 children.