Simultaneous explosions at pro-Kurdish party HQs in Turkey

18 May, 2015 07:31 / Updated 9 years ago

Casualties have been reported after several explosions hit 2 leftwing pro-Kurdish party HQs in Turkey.

The blasts in the Adana-Mersin Metropolitan Area in south Turkey, went off simultaneously, Hurriyet daily reported.

According to preliminary reports, six people were injured by the Adana blast, Reuters said. No immediate casualty report from Mersin was available.

#HayatTV : HDP Adana İl örgütü binasının önünde patlama meydana geldi. İlk gelen bilgilere göre 4 yaralı var.. pic.twitter.com/vGebBeQ1fl

— Frhtdicle (@Frhtizm) May 18, 2015

The attack targeted two local headquarters of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), which currently hold 29 seats in Turkey’s 550-seat parliament.

The explosions were reported 10 minutes apart, the party said.

Adana Hdp ik binasına bombalı saldırı @HDPgenelmerkezi@hdpdemirtas@hayat_tv@evrenselgztpic.twitter.com/cCJztLu2OV

— Halil İMREK (@halilimrek) May 18, 2015

The party said its Adana branch was hit by an explosion in a storage room while in the Mersin branch a flower bouquet delivered on the previous day turned out to be a bomb.

The party’s co-chair, Selahattin Demirtas, was set to hold a campaign rally in Mersin on Monday ahead of the June 7 general election.

Sabah binada toplantı biter bitmez 09.50 gibi patlama oldu. Binanın kapıları camları hava uçtu yarı vat. @evrenselgztpic.twitter.com/wWTKq4Sirf

— Halil İMREK (@halilimrek) May 18, 2015

HDP in just one month endured no fewer than 56 attacks across Turkey, although only two of them involved use of weapons, according to Dicle News Agency.

The party is a relative newcomer in Turkish politics, having been founded in 2012 as a political wing for a union of several left-wing groups. Those include proponents of women and gay rights, secularists, anti-capitalists and environmentalists of Gezi Park protest renown.

Hdp il binası önünde polisler inceleme yspıyor. 11.36 @evrenselgzt@hayat_tvpic.twitter.com/rljecy2dlz

— Halil İMREK (@halilimrek) May 18, 2015