Two wounded in explosion near coup protest in Turkey’s south

ANTALYA

DHA photo

Two people were injured when an explosion occurred near an area where people had gathered to protest the July 15 failed coup attempt masterminded by the Fethullahist Terrorist Organization (FETÖ), in the southern province of Antalya late on Aug. 3.

“An explosion took place on a bench 150 meters away from Antalya Cumhuriyet Square at around 9:30 p.m. Two people were very lightly injured as a result. Crime scene investigation teams have been continuing their examinations in the area to reveal the cause of the blast,” read a statement released from the Antalya Governor’s Office. 

The blast caused panic among the protesters, as people on the stage asked them to remain calm and the police took security precautions.

The people continued their gathering after it was understood that the blast was a minor one. The wounded were taken to nearby hospitals.

Meanwhile, Antalya Governor Münir Karaloğlu and Provincial Police Chief Cemil Tonbul arrived at the scene to carry out examinations.

“This looks like a simple mechanism and we are looking into it. Life goes on as normal. We don’t have any problems. It looks like it was home-made, but the incident just happened, so our friends are looking into it,” Tonbul said, adding that the incident was being evaluated as a “simple blast.”