Deadly blast hits Turkish town

The blast took place in one of the busiest areas of the town and three of the wounded were in critical condition [EPA]

A suspected suicide bomber has killed two and wounded 10 people in southeast Turkey.

The attack, which was reportedly carried out by a female bomber, took place on Saturday in the town of Bingol, the Turkish interior ministry said. 

Idris Naim Sahin, the interior minister, said the blast occurred at a teahouse near the office of the ruling AK Party, but that the building was not the intended target.

The area is one of Bingol’s busiest, and Mustafa Hakan Guvencer, the provincial governor, said three of the wounded were in serious condition.

The blast shattered glass and shop windows in surrounding buildings. Television footage showed people running away from the site of the explosion, while others were seen urging people to evacuate the streets.

Guvencer said the attacker was a woman.

No group has yet admitted to carrying out the attack. Turkey is fighting a long-running battle with Kurdish rebels in the southeast of the country, and they have carried out suicide bombings in the past.

The blast comes as the government is trying to provide relief to thousands of people rendered homeless by a powerful earthquake in Van, another largely Kurdish province.