Turkish bus in Kayseri hit by explosion leaving 13 soldiers dead

The bomb exploded near a university

The aftermath of the explosion in Kayseri (AP)

A bomb has killed and wounded dozens of people in the central Turkish city of Kayseri.

The Turkish military said 13 of its personnel had died and 48 were wounded in the blast which ripped through a bus in the city.

Broadcaster NTV said the bus was carrying off-duty soldiers and civilians when the bomb exploded near a bus stop at the campus of Erciyes University.

Kayseri's Governor, Suleyman Kamci, said the "car bomb exploded beside a bus" and had caused fatalities.

"Unfortunately we have martyrs and wounded," he said in remarks carried by the private Dogan news agency.

Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak told NTV that "treacherous factions" had taken aim at commandos from the Kayseri Airforce Brigade, who had been "training exclusively for the safety of our people".

The Turkish government imposed a temporary order banning some reporting of the blast, citing public order and national security reasons.

It comes a week after twin explosions outside a football stadium in Istanbul killed dozens of people, including police officers.

A Kurdish militant offshoot group claimed responsibility for the Istanbul attack.

Reuters and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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