Explosion rocks Turkish capital Ankara

Baku, September 20 (AZERTAC). At least 15 injured after blast in downtown district, say TV reports.

An explosion near a secondary school injured at least 15 people and set several vehicles on fire in the Turkish capital on Tuesday, an official said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blast in the downtown Kizilay district but a deputy prime minister said a bomb was suspected.

Bulent Arinc said "there is information that a bomb was planted".

A local mayor, Bulent Tanik, said an eyewitness saw a someone throw a burning gas canister on to the vehicles from a nearby building.

The investigation is under way," Tanik said. "If true, that canister might have triggered the blast of a liquefied petroleum gas tank on a vehicle."

One of the vehicles was totally burnt down and four others were also damaged, television images showed.

NTV television said 10 people were hospitalised. Tanik said three people were seriously injured and some of them might have lost their limbs.

The blast occurred near the school but no student was harmed, Tanik said.

The injured were initially treated in the school yard by people in the street before medics arrived at the scene, NTV television said.

Interior minister Besir Atalay inspected the scene of the attack.

Kurdish, leftist and Islamic militants have carried out bomb attacks in Turkey in the past.

FEEDBACK