Ankara attacks: Turkey in mourning after blasts kill almost 100

Thousands of people have gathered in the centre of Turkey’s capital, Ankara, to pay tribute to the victims of bomb blasts which killed at least 95 people. Brief scuffles broke out between the crowd and the police after some mourners tried to lay carnations at the site of the bombings. The pro-Kurdish HDP party, which organised Saturday’s rally, said 128 people were killed in the attacks. Protesters have blamed the government for security failures around the rally. The government has rejected suggestions that it was to blame for the bombing. Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said there was evidence that two suicide bombers had carried out the attack. Turkey declared three days of mourning after Saturday’s attack, the deadliest ever in Turkey. The attack, at a peace rally, left 245 people injured, with 48 of them in a serious condition. TV footage showed scenes of panic and people lying on the ground covered in blood, amid protest banners. People are now concerned about the escalation of violence and about maintaining security ahead of a re-run of June’s inconclusive parliamentary elections due to be held in three weeks’ time, our correspondent says. The protesters say Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has divided this nation with polarising rhetoric, pitting one side against the other and whipping up anti-Kurdish frenzy, says the BBC’s Mark Lowen in Istanbul. The blasts took place near the city’s central train station as people gathered for a march organised by leftist groups demanding an end to the violence between the Kurdish separatist PKK militants and the Turkish government. The two explosions happened shortly after 10:00 as crowds gathered ahead of the rally. Amateur video footage showed a group of young people holding hands and singing, as the first blast hits.–bbc.com