An explosion occurs in central Ankara, Turkey, with at least 37 people killed and 127 wounded.
The March 2016 Ankara bombing killed at least 37 people and injured 125. Of the 125 individuals who suffered injuries, 19 of them were seriously harmed. Several buildings were also damaged during the event, and a bus and many cars were reportedly completely destroyed.The bombing took place on Atatürk Boulevard, near Güvenpark, at a point where several bus stops were located. A car laden with explosives was used for the attack, and the buses carrying civilians were targeted. The area was subsequently evacuated as a precaution against the possibility of further attacks.Following the attack, Turkish authorities reportedly imposed media restrictions: journalists said some broadcast media were subject to a ban on covering aspects of the attack, and the Turkish broadcasting authority, RTÜK, issued a ban on covering aspects of the explosion. Analysts also said that access to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter was "extremely slow or blocked after the explosion," as social media sites in Turkey were reportedly blocked with the justification that the sites contained graphic images of the explosion.The daily Sözcü reported that the Ministry of the Interior identified the assailant as Seher Çağla Demir, a Kurdish militant studying at Balıkesir University. A few days later on 17 March 2016, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks (TAK) claimed responsibility. The group had already claimed the previous Ankara bombing in February.