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Deadly Explosions At Turkish Campaign Rally


People help wounded victims after an explosion during a election campaign rally for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in southeastern Turkey.
People help wounded victims after an explosion during a election campaign rally for the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) in southeastern Turkey.

A Turkish official says two people were killed following a double explosion at a Kurdish party election rally in southeastern Turkey two days before nationwide parliamentary elections.

Agriculture Minister Mehdi Eker said on June 5 that more than 100 people were wounded in the explosions, many of them seriously.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the blasts were a "provocation" designed to undermine peace ahead of the elections.

he blasts occurred about five minutes apart at an election rally being held by the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party in Diyarbakir, a city in a part of Turkey that is predominantly Kurdish.

The first explosion occurred as party leader Selahattin Demirtas was preparing to speak to supporters.

Rally organizers were unsure about the cause of the explosions, with some officials saying they were caused by a malfunctioning power distribution unit and others saying there was an "external interference" with the power unit.

"Whatever is behind this incident -- whether it was a power transformer explosion, an assassination attempt, an act of provocation -- we shall investigate it," Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said.

Turkey will hold parliamentary elections on June 7.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP

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