Blast at Restaurant in Turkey Kills Seven People, Reports Say

An explosion rocked a restaurant in the city of Aydın in Turkey, according to preliminary reports, killing 7 people, local media reports, citing local authorities.

"The governor of Aydın Huseyin Aksoy said that 7 people died as a result of an explosion in a restaurant in the Nazilli district," media reported. The governor added that rescue teams arrived at the site.

According to preliminary data, another 4 were wounded.

Aydın Valisi Hüseyin Aksoy, Nazilli ilçesindeki bir restoranda meydana gelen patlamada 7 kişinin öldüğünü, biri ağır 4 kişinin yaralandığını bildirdi. Vali Aksoy, ilk belirlemelere göre tüp değişimi sırasında patlamanın olduğunu söyledi. pic.twitter.com/tSVLlHKYw4

— Sabah (@sabah) December 30, 2022

A gas cylinder exploded in the restaurant during a tube change, according to reports. There were over 20 people in the restaurant at the time of blast. The area of the incident was cordoned off by police.

Later in the day, local media said that five people were detained in connection with the explosion. The prosecutor's office in the Nazilli district has initiated a judicial investigation into the incident, appointing three prosecutors to the case, the report added.

No group or individual have yet taken the responsibility for the attack, the details of the explosion are being investigated.

On November 13, an explosion occurred on Istiklal Avenue in the center of Istanbul, as a result of which six people were killed and 81 others were injured. The female suspect, Ahlam Albashir, has confessed to having links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), outlawed in Turkey. The interior minister said that the order to commit the attack came from Kobani, a Syrian city near the Turkish border, while the perpetrator entered the country through the city of Afrin.