Thirteen soldiers were killed and 48 wounded on Saturday in a car bomb blast that targeted a bus transporting them in the central city of Kayseri, the Turkish Armed Forces were quoted by Hurriyet Daily.

The soldiers - all low-ranking privates and non-commissioned officers - had been given permission for leave from the command headquarters in the city, it said in a statement. 

The wounded were being treated in hospital while there could also be additional civilian casualties, it added.

Turkey's Dogan news agency had said the blast hit the bus as it drove past a car believed to be packed with explosives.

Source: MENA