Turkey blast: At least 13 killed, over 48 injured in car bombing at Kayseri

At least 13 soldiers were killed and more than 48 were injured in a car bomb blast in central Turkish city of Kayseri on Saturday.

The blast occurred when a car bomb hit a bus transporting off-duty military personnel in Kayseri. The attack has come a week after a twin-bombing targeted police officials in the Turkish capital, Istanbul.

The recent blast adds to a string of deadly attacks in the country, which have taken hundreds of lives. Most of these attacks have been claimed by Kurdish militants. Last week's attack, which killed 44 people and wounded more than 150, was also claimed by Kurdish terrorists.

However, there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak drew similarities between this attack to last week's bombings outside the Besiktas stadium, which was claimed by an offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

"The car bomb attack resembles the Besiktas attack in terms of its style," Kaynak told reporters. The deputy PM added that the incident will not deter Turkey from heading towards its goal of fighting militancy in the country.

The Turkish military confirmed the casualties and the number of wounded, adding that civilians may also have been injured in the blast. All the injured people have been rushed to the hospital for treatment.

According to broadcaster NTV, the bus carrying the military personnel was stopped at a red light near the Erciyes University campus in Kayseri when a car approached it and exploded.  

In June 2016, three suicide bombers attacked Istanbul's Ataturk Airport, killing 47 people and injuring 147. The authorities had detained several suspects and attributed the attack to the Islamic State group.