Explosion in Turkish capital kills at least two

ANKARA, May 22 (Reuters) An explosion outside a shopping mall in the centre of Turkey's capital Ankara killed two people, Deputy Prime Minister Mehmet Ali Sahin said.

But Ankara Mayor Melih Gokcek said the blast during rush hour at the entrance of the Anafartalar shopping mall killed four and wounded 56. He said the explosion was most likely caused by a bomb.

Shop windows were shattered and police cordoned off the area as ambulances rushed to the scene.

Kurdish separatists, leftist militants and hardline Islamists have all launched bomb attack in Turkey in the past.

In 2003, 30 people were killed and 146 wounded when suicide car bombs hit two synagogues in Istanbul. Five days later, 32 people were killed in similar attacks on the British consulate and HSBC bank in the city. The bombs were blamed on al Qaeda.

Kurdish rebels launched a series bomb attacks on tourist sites in Turkey last year, killing more than a dozen people.

REUTERS NC VC2315