Car blast kills three Syrians in southern Turkey

At least three Syrians were killed in the Turkish town of Reyhanli close to the Syrian border in a car blast on Friday that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said could be terror-related.

"The initial findings suggest there may be more of a link with terror," Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul. 

"It is clear there was a bomb in the car," he said, citing Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

"We think it was a home-made bomb. The three Syrians nationals were under temporary protection in Turkey," Soylu told local media.

The blast took place less than a kilometre from the Reyhanli district governor's office around 1000 GMT, state news Anadolu Agency reported.

Images in Turkish media showed thick black smoke and flames from the car as firefighters fought the blaze.

A large number of ambulances and police teams were dispatched to the scene after the explosion.

Previous attacks 

A twin car bombing in May 2013 in Reyhanli killed over 50 people in one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey's modern history.

Turkey was hit by a series of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 carried out by Daesh and PKK terror groups, which left hundreds dead.

The last major attack was the New Year massacre by a terrorist at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul just minutes into 2017, which left 39 dead.