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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — An explosion inside a car left in the parking lot of the local chamber of trade in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya on Tuesday slightly injured about a dozen people, an official said.
Mayor Menderes Turel said the cause of the explosion at the Antalya Trade and Industry Chamber was not immediately known. He added it may not have been the result of a terror attack.
About 10 or 12 people were hurt by flying glass but none of the injuries was serious, he told private NTV television. The blast damaged at least four cars in the parking area and shattered glass panels inside the building located some on the outskirts of Antalya.
Turkey has been rocked by a wave of deadly bomb attacks in the past 18 months blamed on Kurdish rebels or Islamic State group militants.
But Turel and the chief of the trade chamber said the blast may be the result of an accident — an explosion inside a car running on liquefied petroleum gas — and not necessarily an act of terror.
As with previous explosions, authorities on Tuesday imposed a temporary media blackout on the coverage of the incident, citing safety and public order concerns and the integrity of the investigation.
Antalya is a major tourism destination for Turkey, which has seen a sharp drop in visitors following the spate of violent attacks. Earlier this month three rockets believed to have been fired by Kurdish militants hit a fishing company depot near Antalya. No one was hurt in the attack.
On Tuesday, several ambulances were dispatched to the scene and police sealed the trade center's perimeters in case of a second explosion.
The blast occurred as employees were arriving at the building for work and hours before the trade chamber was to hold a meeting to be attended by the mayor.
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