Eight wounded in Istanbul explosion, several dead in Diyarbakir blast

An explosion occurred on Thursday close to a military barracks in Istanbul, leaving at least eight people wounded, and another blast in southeastern Turkey left several dead and 10 injured as the country was on high alert for attacks.

Istanbul governor Vasip Sahin said five military personnel and three civilians were injured in the Istanbul explosion, one seriously.

The blast, which came from inside a car, occurred in Sancaktepe district on the Asian side of Istanbul, the Dogan news agency reported.

Video released by Dogan showed a wrecked car, which was still on fire. Nearby buildings had their windows blown out by the force of the blast.

And later on Thursday, a powerful blast hit the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, leaving several people dead and at least 10 injured, the interior ministry said.

The blast struck the majority-Kurdish city "while PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) militants loaded explosives onto a stolen truck," the ministry said, according to an AFP report.

The ministry did not specify, however, what exactly had caused the blast, nor was it clear whether the casualties were civilians or PKK fighters.

Istanbul has been targeted by several bomb attacks in recent months, claimed both by Islamic State (IS) supporters and Kurdish fighters.

A suicide bomb attack on Istanbul's Istiklal Avenue on 19 March, reportedly carried out by IS, killed four people and injured 36 others.