“According to initial reports, 27 of our citizens were killed in a blast caused by a bomb-laden car at 6.45 p.m. on March 13, Sunday, at Kızılay’s Güvenpark,” the statement said. 23 citizens were killed at the scene of the incident while four others died on their way to the hospital, it added.
The area is being evacuated as a precaution against a second attack.
The wounded persons were transferred to 10 different hospitals across Ankara, private broadcaster CNN Türk has reported.
A reporter from private broadcaster Habertürk said the blast took place where around 10 bus stops are located.
Meanwhile, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who was in Istanbul, was briefed by the Interior Minister Efkan Ala about the blast on the phone, according to presidency sources. The president is expected to return to Ankara.
The Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) has declared a broadcasting ban on images of the scene and victims.
The U.S. had warned its citizens in a March 11 statement over a potential terror attack in Ankara.
“The U.S. Embassy informs U.S. citizens that there is information regarding a potential terrorist plot to attack Turkish government buildings and housing located in the Bahçelievler area of Ankara. U.S. citizens should avoid this area,” read the stamenet.
“We advise U.S. citizens to review their personal security plans, remain aware of your surroundings and local events, monitor local news stations for updates, and follow local authority instructions,” it read.
This is the third major blast to hit the Turkish capital since October 2015.
Alleged Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants bombed a peace rally near the Ankara Railway Station in a major city thoroughfare and left at least 103 dead on Oct. 10, 2015.
Four months later, a suicide car bomb attack targeted military shuttles in the capital city on Feb. 17, killing at least 29 people and injuring 81 others.
Turkey will develop a new security approach and mechanism for the capital city of Ankara, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said, following a nearly five-hour security meeting with his seniors and officials on Feb. 20 in the aftermath of a Feb. 17 car bomb attack.
“Every province has special [security] needs,” the prime minister said, adding that Ankara had a special position as it was the capital hosting many government, state and opposition buildings, along with envoys of many countries.
“Every province has special [security] needs,” the prime minister said, adding that Ankara had a special position as it was the capital hosting many government, state and opposition buildings, along with envoys of many countries.
Elaborating on the new mechanism, Turkish Interior Minister Efkan Ala said technology would be used more in the implementation of the new security mechanism.
“That would be more prominent. Civil servants will be in official uniforms... Electronic devices will be used more,” Ala said on Feb. 21.
Parliament building will also be surrounded by high-security metal fences.