A massive explosion has occurred in the southwestern Turkish tourist hub of Antalya, injuring at least 10 people.

The explosion happened in the car park of a a chamber of commerce building in the city on Tuesday.

Antalya’s Mayor Menderes Turel said, “10 to 12 people were slightly injured by flying glass.”

Images that gradually emerged showed smoke billowing from the wreckage of one vehicle in the car park, which lied outside the building, pointing to a potential car bomb attack.

The cause of the blast was yet to be officially identified, however, and Turel said the incident might have been an accident.

The blast left cracks in the facade of the chamber of commerce building itself, damaged nearby vehicles, and smashed windows of other buildings.

Turkey has been rocked by a wave of deadly bomb attacks in the past 18 months blamed either on the Kurdish militants of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, which is active in neighboring Iraq and Syria.

Striking an artery of the economy

The site of the Tuesday blast lies a few kilometers from the airport in Antalya.

Last Friday, two rockets fired by unknown assailants struck Antalya. Hunt is on for suspected attackers, and 25 people have been arrested so far.

The province of Antalya is located next to the popular tourist areas of Marmaris and Bodrum, and just north of Cyprus. Situated on the sun-drenched Mediterranean coast, the Antalya region is one of Turkey’s most popular tourist destinations.

Most recently, bomb explosions rocked the southern Turkish city of Gaziantep, killing three police officers and injuring eight others.

Back in August, an attacker tied to Daesh struck a wedding in Gaziantep, killing 57 people, including 34 children.

Ankara is accused of providing logistical support and safe passage for Daesh terrorists since 2014, when they unleashed their campaign of terror against Iraq and Syria. Turkey now seems to have become entangled with the unmanageable side effects of such sponsorship for the militants.

By Press TV