CCTV footage captured the shocking moment a car laden with explosives detonated during rush hour in the centre of the Turkish capital of Ankara, killing at least 28 people.

The target of the blast, which also injured at least 61 people, was a convoy of military service vehicles in the administrative centre of the capital city.

Footage shows several cars slowing as they pass a convoy of buses, reported to have been carrying members of the armed forces, which was attacked as it waited at traffic lights.

The screen suddenly goes white as the bomb exploded, although it isn't clear from the footage from which car the explosion originated.

Footage: CCTV images show cars filing past the convoy of military buses, which were attacked as they waited at traffic lights in the Turkish capital of Ankara

Blur: It isn't clear from the footage from which car the explosion originated, as a number of cars slow down alongside the bus before the screen turns a bright white in the blast

Aftermath: Smoke fills the streets of Ankara just moments after a car bomb exploded, killing at least 28 people and injuring 61, according to latest estimates

Horror: At least 28 people are dead and 61 others injured in an explosion believed to have been caused by a car bomb in the Turkish capital of Ankara

The attack took place near a busy intersection less than 500metres from parliament, and also near to the city's armed forces' headquarters and government buildings, during the evening rush hour.

Plumes of smoke were seen rising over the city and the powerful blast was heard across several neighbourhoods, sending residents rushing to their balconies in a panic.

Ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene of the blast, where emergency service workers treated victims who were shocked and covered in blood.

A health ministry official said the authorities were still trying to determine the number of dead and wounded, who had been taken to several hospitals in the area.

Initial reports claimed just the blast killed five people and injured 10 others, but that number was raised substantially by the city's governor Mehmet Kiliclar.

The country's health minister Mehmet Muezzinoglu raised the death toll again to 21, although the country's deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus later raised it again to 28.

Mr Kurtulmus also confirmed that the blast was caused by a car bomb and targeted military vehicles that were carrying armed forces personnel.

Blast: Flames and giant plumes of black smoke rise from the site of the explosion, which is believed to have targeted a convoy of military vehicles

Panic: Emergency services at the scene following a car bomb detonation close to military buildings in Ankara, capital of Turkey

Destruction: Firefighters stand near a burning car after the explosion in Ankara, which caused plumes of dark smoke to hover over the city

Battle: Firefighters try to extinguish flames following an explosion after an attack targeted a convoy of military service vehicles in Ankara

Care: A person injured in the explosion receives medical care. The death toll from the blast has risen from initial estimates of five to more than 20

He said seven prosecutors have been assigned to investigate the attack, which he described as 'well-planned'.

Mr Kurtulmus said no group had yet claimed responsibility, but pledged authorities would find those behind the attack.

'I heard a huge explosion. There was smoke and a really strong smell even though we were blocks away,' said a witness.

'We could immediately hear ambulance and police car sirens rushing to the scene.'

A second blast was reported to have followed the first, causing panic in the area. However, local media claimed this was caused by police detonating a suspicious package.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has cancelled his planned trip to Brussels following the explosion, according to an official in the prime minister's office.

Mr Davutoglu was due to leave later on Wednesday for Brussels to meet a number of EU leaders on Thursday for discussions on the migrant crisis ahead of a full summit of the 28-member bloc.

Targeted: A map of the blast site shows its proximity to Turkey's Air Force HQ (Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanligi) and to the country's parliament buildings (TBMM)

Blaze: Firefighters try to extinguish flames following an explosion after an attack targeted a convoy of military service vehicles in Ankara

Concern: People react near the site of an explosion after a car bomb targeted Turkish military in Ankara, killing at least 28 people and injuring at least 61 others

Warning: Plumes of thick, dark smoke rise above buildings following an explosion after an attack targeted a convoy of military service vehicles in Ankara

Hurt: A wounded man is carried to an ambulance after an explosion on February 17, 2016 in Ankara

Damage: A wounded man is carried to an ambulance after an explosion on February 17, 2016 in Ankara

Scare: An injured woman covered in blood sits in an ambulance after the blast during rush hour on Wednesday

Meanwhile the country's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has postponed a visit to Azerbaijan, according to presidential sources.

The spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Omer Celik, said he strongly condemned the attack, Turkish media reported.

Although reports are unconfirmed, Turkish security officials told Reuters that initial signs indicate the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) insurgents were behind the attack.

However, separate security sources in Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast gave a different account, saying they believed ISIS militants were behind the bombing.

The spokesman for the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Omer Celik, said on Twitter he strongly condemned the 'act of terror'.

'But our determination to fight [terror] will become even greater,' he added.

Alarm: Turkish army service busses burn after an explosion on February 17, 2016 in Ankara. Emergency services fill the blast site, with firefighters trying to douse flames and paramedics caring for the injured

Blame: A police officer clears the area of an explosion in Ankara. It has not yet been confirmed who was behind the attack, but both the PKK and ISIS have been separately blamed

Security forces: Turkish police secure the blast site after an explosion on February 17, 2016 in Ankara

ISIS has been blamed for a string of bombings in the country since the middle of last year.

A blast in Ankara on October 10 last year killed 103 people. Two suicide bombers in the October attack blew themselves up in a crowd of peace activists in Ankara, the bloodiest attack in the country's modern history.

An attack on January 16 also killed 11 people, all German tourists, when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the tourist heart of Istanbul.

Those attacks were blamed on ISIS jihadists, as were two other deadly bombings in the country's Kurdish-dominated southeast earlier in the year.

Turkish authorities have in recent weeks detained several suspected ISIS members, with officials saying they were planning attacks in Istanbul and Ankara.

Fear: Flames can be seen emerging from behind a bus at the site of the bombing. A fire engine stands at the site of an explosion after an attack targeted a convoy of military service vehicles in Ankara

Security: An ambulance arrives after an explosion in Ankara. Ambulances and fire engines were sent to the scene, which is near the Turkish military headquarters and the parliament

Control: Turkish police officers block a street after an explosion in Ankara, Turkey. The city was already on edge after a series of attacks since the middle of last year

Chaos: A man reacts next to policemen near the site of an explosion after an attack targeted a convoy of military service vehicles in Ankara

Injury: An injured person is loaded into an ambulance car following an explosion after an attack targeted a convoy of military service vehicles in Ankara. Concerned relatives and members of the public have begun arriving at the site of the blast

Fight: Firefighters battle to douse flames of the raging inferno, after a car bomb targeted a convoy of military vehicles in Ankara's administrative heart, near to military headquarters, parliament and government buildings

Reaction: Emergency services and members of the public rushed to the site of the explosion, which left plumes of black smoke floating over the Turkish capital

On guard: A Turkish soldier stands guard near the site of an explosion in Ankara. Turkey, a NATO member, faces multiple security threats, making it difficult to pin down who is to blame for the attack

Alert: Turkish soldiers stand guard near the site of an explosion in Ankara. The explosion went off near to the armed forces' headquarters, government and parliamentary buildings

Wary: Police officers stand next to the explosion site in Ankara. Another explosion following the initial blast is reported to have caused panic, but reports claim it was the police detonating a suspicious package

But Turkey, a NATO member, faces multiple security threats.

The country is also waging an all-out assault on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has staged dozens of deadly attacks against members of the security forces in the southeast.

The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984, initially fighting for Kurdish independence although now more for greater autonomy and rights for the country's largest ethnic minority.

The conflict, which has left tens of thousands of people dead, looked like it could be nearing a resolution until an uneasy truce was shattered in July.

President Erdogan said on Wednesday there was no question of Turkish forces stopping their bombardment of Syrian Kurdish fighters, vowing not allow the creation of a Kurdish stronghold in northern Syria.

Flames: A fire engine is seen near the site of the bombing, as the death toll rises from five people to at least 28

Response: Emergency workers help an injured person on the ground near the explosion site in Ankara

Rescue: An ambulance arrives, with the fire seen in background, close to the site of an explosion in Ankara

On edge: Emergency services at the scene following a car bomb detonation close to military buildings in Ankara, capital of Turkey

Emergency: Smoke rises over buildings following an explosion after an attack targeted a convoy of military service vehicles in Ankara on February 17, 2016

Target: Cars of emergency services arrive after an explosion in Ankara, which is believed to have killed at least 28 people and injured at least 61 more

Attack: A Turkish police officer closes a street after an explosion in Ankara. Although reports are unconfirmed, Turkish security officials have said that initial signs indicate the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) insurgents were behind the attack.

Force: Police officers clutching riot shields arrive at the site of a bombing in Ankara. Although reports are unconfirmed, Turkish security officials have said that initial signs indicate the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) insurgents were behind the attack.

THE BLOODIEST BOMB ATTACKS IN TURKEY SINCE 1982 February 17, 2016: At least 28 people are killed and 61 wounded in a car bombing targeting the Turkish military in the capital Ankara. January 12, 2016: 11 German tourists are killed and another 16 people wounded in a suicide attack by a Syrian bomber in Istanbul's Sultanahmet district, the ancient tourist heart of the city. October 10, 2015: 103 people are killed and more than 500 wounded in twin suicide bombings targeting a pro-Kurdish peace rally in Ankara, the deadliest on Turkish soil. The government blames ISIS jihadists. July 20, 2015: 34 people are killed and about 100 injured in a suicide bombing in the predominantly-Kurdish town of Suruc near the border with Syria. Turkish officials blame ISIS. May 11, 2013: A twin car bomb attack kills 52 people in Reyhanli near the Syrian border. Ankara blames pro-Damascus groups. February 11, 2013: 17 people are killed when a Syrian minibus explodes in Reyhanli. July 27, 2008: Two bombings in Istanbul leave 17 dead and 115 wounded. The authorities blame the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). September 12, 2006: 10 people, including children, are killed in a powerful bomb blast in Diyarbakir, the largest city in the mainly Kurdish southeast. The PKK denies involvement. November 15 and 20, 2003: Four suicide car bomb attacks in Istanbul hit two synagogues, the British consulate and a branch of the British multinational bank HSBC, leaving 63 dead including Britain's consul general, and hundreds wounded. The attacks are claimed by Al-Qaeda and a Turkish extremist group named the Islamic Front of Raiders of the Great Orient. March 13, 1999: 12 are killed in a firebombing on an Istanbul shopping mall. The attack is claimed by the PKK, which later retracts its statement. December 25, 1991: Explosives and firebombs are hurled at an Istanbul department store, killing 17 people and injuring 23. The attack is blamed on the PKK. September 6, 1986: A twin suicide bombing claimed by Islamic Jihad kills 22 people at a synagogue in Istanbul. August 7, 1982: A bomb at Ankara airport followed by a gun battle leaves 11 dead and 63 injured. The attack is claimed by the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA). Source: AFP Advertisement

Turkish Firtina howitzers stationed in Turkey's southern region of Kilis shelled positions of Kurdish fighters in Syria for the fifth day in the row, in response to incoming fire, reports said.

'They [the West] tell us to stop shelling' the Kurdish fighters in Syria, Erdogan said in a televised speech.

'Forgive me, but there is no question of us doing such a thing. Whoever fires shells on Turkey will get not just a tit-for-tat response but an even greater one,' he added.

'We will not allow a new Qandil on our southern border' with Syria, Erdogan added, referring to the mountain in northern Iraq which for years has been stronghold of PKK militants.

Reports this evening suggest Turkey has begun a wave of air strikes against the PKK in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Terrifying: Peaceful demonstrators at a pro-Kurdish rally on October 10, 2015 react as a powerful blast goes off behind them. An explosion in Ankara today has killed at least 28 people and left 61 others injured

Uprising: Demonstrators hold placards which reads 'We know the murderer!' during a protest against a bombing in Ankara on October 13, 2015. A blast today is believed to have been targeted at a military convoy

Ankara has also been carrying out air strikes against Syrian Kurdish fighters across the border wartorn Syria since the weekend.

A Kurdish splinter group, the Freedom Falcons of Kurdistan (TAK), claimed a mortar attack on Istanbul's second international airport on December 23 which killed a female cleaner and damaged several planes.