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Explosion at Turkish wedding ceremony kills at least 22

Speaking to the broadcaster NTV, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Simsek said the “barbaric” explosion appears to have been caused by a suicide bomber.

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Recep Tayyip Erdogan gave the information in a live nationally-televised address in front of Istanbul city Hall.

A parliamentary deputy from the ruling AK Party said in a message posted on Twitter that Islamic State is believed to be behind the attack.

The lawmaker added that it was the type of attack that could have been launched by the Islamic State (IS) group or the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

At least 50 people were killed and dozens of others wounded in the attack late Saturday in the southeastern city of Gaziantep.

The explosion took place in the Sahinbey district of the province, which, lying just 60km north of the Syrian border, has become a hub for Syrians fleeing the military conflict in their country.

In a statement, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim denounced the bomb attack and vowed to combat terror, saying it had turned the wedding ceremony into an occasion for mourning.

Four years ago on Aug 20, 10 people were killed and 66 others were injured in a vehicle bomb attack carried out by PKK terror organization in Gaziantep.

Blood stains and burns marked the walls of the narrow lane where the wedding party was attacked while women in white and checkered scarves cried sitting crosslegged and waiting outside the morgue for word on missing relatives.

Ambulances arrive at site of an explosion on Saturday in Gaziantep following a late night militant attack on a wedding party in southeastern Turkey.

Pope Francis has led hundreds of people in silent prayer for the victims of the Turkish wedding attack.

At his weekly Sunday noontime blessing, Francis said he had heard the “sad news” of the attack. Later, the Gaziantep governor’s office raised the toll to 50, without giving a number of wounded, according to Anadolu.

Southern Turkey has been hit by several deadly blasts over the past year, linked either to Kurdish separatist militants or so-called Islamic State.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, condemned the attack, saying: “Those who can not overcome Turkey and try to provoke people by abusing ethnic and sectarian sensitiveness will not prevail”.

But in a statement condemning the attack, Erdogan identified ISIS as the likely perpetrator.

Turkey is still tense after an attempted coup on July 15 which Ankara blames on US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen.

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Erdogan said there was “absolutely no difference” between IS, Kurdish rebels and the movement of US -based cleric Fethullah Gulen, calling them terrorist groups. Gulen denies any involvement.

Turkey wedding explosion: 22 dead and more than 90 injured