The blast occurred around 5:15 pm local time in the Iskenderun district of Hatay province shortly after a military vehicle passed by, local governor Celalettin Lekesiz was quoted as telling Anatolia.

"The attack targeting the military vehicle is believed to have been carried out by members of the PKK terrorist organisation" operating in the Amanos mountains, said Lekesiz.

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey and much of the international community.

The blast followed an escalation of Kurdish rebel attacks targeting Turkey's security forces in the southeast, triggering full-fledged military operations in the region.

Iskenderun is a port town in Hatay province bordering Syria. The Turkish military has beefed up border security with tanks and troops amid the escalating conflict in neighbouring Syria. Some government officials tied the recent upsurge in attacks to the chaos in Syria.

But the latest blast in Iskenderun is not believed to be linked with Syria, Lekesiz said.

About 45,000 people have been killed since the PKK took up arms for autonomy in Kurdish-majority southeastern Turkey in 1984.