A huge explosion inside a restaurant in Turkey has killed at least five people and injured dozens more.
A devastating propane tank explosion at a restaurant in Izmir, a city in western Turkey, resulted in five fatalities and 63 injuries on Sunday, according to local authorities. The blast, which was captured on security cameras, wreaked havoc on the street and caused minor damage to nearby buildings.
Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya revealed via social media that a large number of rescue personnel were promptly dispatched to the scene. Izmir Governor Suleyman Elban visited the injured in hospital, announcing that 40 had already been discharged.
Injured members of the public have been taken to nearby hospitals (Anadolu via Getty Images)Authorities have apprehended a suspect believed to be connected to the incident. The individual had reportedly replaced the propane tank with a new one the day before.
Dr Cemil Tugay, the Metropolitan Municipality Mayor of Izmir, released a statement confirming necessary work would continue. It read: "Our teams continue all necessary work. We started working to meet all the needs of our citizens who were victimized in the region, including accommodation."
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Tugay also confirmed a number of those injured in the attack were being treated at nearby hospitals. He said: "There are many injured people currently under treatment. Some of them are under treatment in Torbalı State Hospital, some are in private hospitals in Torbalı, and five people are under treatment in hospitals in Izmir."
Buildings near to the explosion have been evacuated (Anadolu via Getty Images)Torbalı Mayor Övünç Demir added there was an evacuation process underway and prayed for those who had been injured or killed in the attack. He said: "We are evacuating the buildings and our Metropolitan Municipality is working on providing accommodation and social support.
"We, as a municipality, have been doing our best since the beginning. Our surrounding district mayors are here and I would like to thank them too. I pray God's mercy to those who passed away. I wish the injured to recover as soon as possible."
Münir Karaloğlu, the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, has since confirmed the explosion was the result of an "industrial cylinder". He said: "May God have mercy on our citizens who lost their lives as a result of the explosion caused by an industrial cylinder in a restaurant in Torbalı, Izmir, and I wish a speedy recovery to our injured."
This is a breaking news story and is being constantly updated...
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