Hatay Governor Rahmi Dogan said two Syrian nationals inside the parked car were killed in the explosion and the subsequent fire, and one other person was injured. The cause of the blast is yet to be determined, according to Dogan.
Soon after the blast, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said initial findings showed that the incident may be terror related. "It is apparent that a bomb was inside the car and those inside were Syrian nationals, all three of them died," Erdogan said.
The blast took place some 750 meters away from the district governorate building in the town center.
Reyhanli district borders Syria and the town center lies right north to the Syrian border, while the Cilvegozu border gate, a main crossing into Syria, is some five kilometers away. The district has been home to a large population of Syrian refugees since the conflict erupted in Syria.
On May 11, 2013, a bomb-laden vehicle was detonated in Reyhanli town center first, killing scores and causing destruction. A second vehicle was detonated five minutes later after dozens, including civilians, first-aid units and security forces, had rushed to the area to help those wounded in the attack.
In addition to killing 53 people and injuring dozens of others, the attack devastated the district, damaging 912 houses, 891 businesses and 148 vehicles.
Based on Daily Sabah
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