Kayseri – At least 13 soldiers were martyred and 48 others wounded in a car bomb attack in central Turkey’s Kayseri province on Saturday, according to the military.

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The Turkish General Staff said in a statement the attack targeted a public bus carrying off-duty troops near the Erciyes University campus at 8.45 a.m. local time (0545 GMT).

Kayseri Governor Suleyman Kamci said it was a suicide attack. “The car bomb was detonated by a suicide attacker,” Kamci said.

The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals in the city.

An investigation into the attack is underway.

Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak compared the incident to the Dec.10 twin bombings in Istanbul, which killed 44 people, including several police officers.

Turkey’s Supreme Board of Radio and Television imposed a temporary ban on media coverage of Kayseri blast, which includes live broadcast from the scene, footage taken from the time of the blast and afterwards, and images of bodies, the agency said in a statement.