Turkish lira crashes following Ministry of Education purge – as powerful explosion is reported in Ankara
The Turkish lira was already down more than two per cent against the dollar today, before a large explosion was reported in the Altındağ district of Ankara late this afternoon.
The currency was down 2.2 per cent against the dollar at $0.32850, its lowest since Saturday night when an attempted coup sent the currency plummeting.
However, late this afternoon reports began to emerge of clouds of smoke in the Turkish capital following a "massive explosion".
#BREAKING: Large explosion hits Turkish capital #Ankara pic.twitter.com/QpeIFHP9Zw
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) July 19, 2016
Large explosion in Altındağ district of Ankara #Turkey. /ht @beneyna_ pic.twitter.com/CCCiBFpjIU
— Yannis Koutsomitis (@YanniKouts) July 19, 2016
The news came shortly after the Turkish Ministry of Education confirmed it had fired more than 15,000 people, including more than 1,577 people, for alleged links to Fetullah Gulen, the US-based cleric charged with inciting the weekend's attempted coup.
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