- Title: TURKEY: Blast at Turkish ammunition dump kills 25 soldiers.
- Date: 6th September 2012
- Summary: PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS CONVERTED 4:3 MATERIAL AFYON, TURKEY (SEPTEMBER 6, 2012) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) ENTRANCE OF MILITARY COMPOUND WATCH TOWER VARIOUS OF MILITARY COMPOUND WHERE BLAST OCCURRED VARIOUS OF RELATIVES OF DEAD AND WOUNDED SOLDIERS WAITING COMMANDER OF LAND FORCES, HAYRI KIVRIKOGLU, ARRIVING AT BLAST SITE (SOUNDBITE) (Turkish) FORESTRY MINISTER,
- Embargoed: 21st September 2012 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Turkey
- Country: Turkey
- Topics: Accidents,Defence / Military
- Reuters ID: LVAR8OQ1HI4P0MLHUUJ8E2S4RTH
- Story Text: A huge explosion at a Turkish ammunition store kills at least 25 soldiers, wounding another four.
An explosion at an ammunition store in western Turkey during a routine inventory check has killed 25 soldiers and wounded four, government officials said on Thursday (September 6).
The blast, which happened late on Wednesday in the western city of Afyon, occurred as soldiers were moving stocks of hand grenades, said Forestry Minister Veysel Eroglu as he visited the scene.
"Unfortunately, we have 25 martyrs. We are deeply saddened by this unfortunate incident and we express our condolences to their families and to the Turkish nation. Among those who lost their lives were two sergeants, two experts and 21 privates. Eight people were injured. We pay our condolences to the Turkish nation. This was an accident.. We have visited wounded soldiers, it's an accident resulting in two sequential explosions," he said.
The military said the cause of the blast was not immediately known but both Eroglu and Afyon Governor Irfan Balkanlioglu said it was accidental and ruled out sabotage.
In recent weeks, the Turkish military has been engaged in some of the heaviest fighting for years with Kurdish militants in the southeastern border region with Iraq and Syria, hundreds of kilometres away on the other side of the country.
Fighter planes and attack helicopters pounded suspected Kurdish militant positions late on Wednesday in a major air-and-ground operation involving around 2,000 soldiers, security sources said. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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