Just days after a failed coup led to the death of at least 232 people in Turkey, the country has been rocked by a huge explosion in the capital of Ankara.
The explosion, which was caught on camera by onlookers, is the latest violent event in Turkey. Official figures from the prime minister’s office reveal that the failed coup also left 1,541 people wounded.
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President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has clamped down on dissenting voices in the army and across government following the coup attempt last Friday. The situation in Turkey remains highly sensitive, with human rights defenders criticizing the heavy-handed response of the government.
Erdogan has since arrested or fired thousands of people who were previously employed in the Turkish judiciary, military and government.
Several images posted on social media show a cloud of thick black smoke across the skyline of the city.
There were fears that the smoke had been caused by a bomb attack. However officials have now confirmed that the smoke is due to a house fire.
Turkey remains on edge following the attempted coup, with many critics of the government fearing that Erdogan will take advantage of the situation in order to seize greater powers.
One important area for concern is media freedom. It already appears that Erdogan is cracking down on outlets that do not support him unequivocally.
According to the state-run Anadolu news agency, the media regulatory agency has canceled broadcast rights and licenses for a number of media outlets that have been connected to the group which the government blames for the attempted coup.
