Explosion near ruling party HQ in eastern Turkey

The blast took place in the heart of the bustling city centre, between the ruling AKP´s offices and those of the governor, Anadolu added, without giving an exact number of the injured.

The private Dogan news agency said an explosives-laden vehicle was detonated about 200 meters (650 feet) from the governor’s office in a commercial district where the AKP municipal offices are located.

It was not immediately clear who was responsible.

In August, three people were killed and 71 injured, including civilians, when a auto bomb struck a police station in Van.

Hundreds of people have been killed and injured in Turkey in recent months in attacks the government says were carried out by Kurdish militants or Islamic State.

Footage of smoke rising from a building and firefighters extinguishing a fire are being shown on local television.

Turkish officials blamed the attack on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency against the Turkish state and is considered a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies.

“Our government took this decision based on all of this evidence”.

Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party, the country’s main opposition party and the United States all have criticised the move.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan defended the suspension of 28 mayors, saying it was a long-overdue.

The PKK members were discovered hiding in a house in İpekyolu town of Van.

Being elected a mayor does not mean you can do anything you want. However, Turkish media accused the PKK of planning the attack.

The municipalities affected by the decision are mainly in the Kurdish-dominated southeast including Sur in the Diyarbakir region which has been ravaged by violence between the PKK and security forces.