Two killed in Istanbul explosion

Several cars were damaged by the blast

An explosion has killed a mother and daughter and injured several others in a residential district of Istanbul.

Turkish media say it is not yet clear what caused the blast at 0015 (2115 GMT) in the Pendik neighbourhood.

Istanbul's security chief Celalettin Cerrah said it did not appear to have been a terrorist attack.

The CNN-Turk TV channel said the blast happened in a vehicle, while Star TV quoted a witness as saying a device went off in a roadside garbage bin.

Mr Cerrah said a car's petrol tank might have exploded.

Bombings

Turkey has been hit by several bombings in recent weeks - some blamed on Kurdish militants, others on Islamists.

On Tuesday, two small blasts in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya injured at least six people, police said.

Five people were killed when a bomb ripped through a bus in the Aegean Sea resort of Kusadasi in July.

Although no-one claimed responsibility for that assault, Turkish authorities suspect Kurdish militants of involvement. The Kurdish militant group the PKK denied carrying out the attack.

In November 2003, Istanbul was rocked by suicide bombs at two synagogues, the British consulate and a UK-owned bank, leaving more than 60 people dead.

The Turkish authorities linked the bombings to al-Qaeda terror network.