At 48 people have been injured in an explosion near the ruling AKP party's headquarters in the city of Van in southeastern Turkey.

Turkish news agency Dogan has quoted local police who said initial reports suggest it was a car bomb.

The blast hit some 200 metres from the Van provincial governor's office and ripped through the city's central district setting buildings and cars alight.

It ripped the front from a four-storey building but the business district, which is normally busy at that time on a Monday morning, was unusually quiet as it was the first day of the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha.

Local television footage showed smoke billowing from a building and firefighters battling flames.

There have been no immediate reports of any deaths but two are said to be in critical condition in hospital.

The blast was near to the provincial headquarters of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the local AKP party's deputy leader, Burhan Kayatürk, told CNN Turk that the target of the attack was their regional headquarters but the building was well-secured and had not been badly damaged.

Van province's population is mostly Kurdish. Separatists groups such as the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) have carried out several terror attacks on the country in recent months after a two-year ceasefire with the government broke down last year.

They have been waging a three decades-long insurgency for Kurdish autonomy in the south-east of the country which has killed an estimated 40,000 people.

Security sources have blamed the PKK for the attack but there has been no immediate claim of responsibility.

Development Minister Lutfi Elvan condemned the attack, the perpetrators had no respect for the holiday.

He told the Andolu agency: "Of course the necessary response is being given to these traitors, and will continue being given.

The explosion ripped the front of the building near the AKP headquarters and the regional governor's office (AP)

"Our nation and our state are strong. we are easily overcoming them and God willing we will root out this divisive terrorist organization as well as Daesh (Isis). We don't want even a single person remaining."

The attack came a day after Mr Erdogan removed two dozen mayors from Kurdish-run municipalities from office in four towns in the wider Van province over alleged links to the PKK - which is treated as a terrorist organsation in Turkey.

The removals triggered protests and the pro-Kurdish opposition party, the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), saying the move was an illegal "administrative coup".

In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Show all 17 1 /17 In pictures: Turkey coup attempt In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17, 2016 in Istanbul, Turkey Burak Kara/Getty Images In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July, 2016 Gokhan Tan/Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 REUTERS/Murad Sezer In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Soliders involved in the coup attempt surrender on Bosphorus bridge Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wave flags as they capture a Turkish Army vehicle Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People pose near a tank after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul, Turkey, 16 July, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers block Istanbul's Bosphorus Brigde Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt A Turkish military stands guard near the Taksim Square in Istanbul Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Pierre Crom/Twitter In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers secure the area as supporters of Recep Tayyip Erdogan protest in Istanbul's Taksim square AP In pictures: Turkey coup attempt People demonstrate in front of the Republic Monument at the Taksim Square in Istanbul Murad Sezer/Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish soldiers detain police officers during a security shutdown of the Bosphorus Bridge Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish Army armoured personnel carriers in the main streets of Istanbul Getty In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Chaos reigned in Istanbul as tanks drove through the streets EPA/TOLGA BOZOGLU In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan speaks to media in the resort town of Marmaris Reuters In pictures: Turkey coup attempt Supporters of President Erdogan celebrate in Ankara following the suppression of the attempted coup Reuters

The country is also being racked by an insurgency led by Isis militants angry at the country's strikes against them over the border in Syria.

In June, 41 people were killed and 239 others were wounded when two suicide bombers detonated explosives before three others opened fire with AK-47s at Istanbul Airport.

Turkey has seen widespread political upheaval since an ill-fated attempt to oust Mr Erdogan by some members of the army on 15th July.

Since the attempted coup Mr Erdogan has staged a widespread crackdown on the "Gullenists" - supporters of the exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen - which has seen the arrest of at least 26,000 people with thousands more being sacked or forced to resign from government posts, the Armed Forces and the police.