At least 27 people have been killed after a massive explosion rocked the Turkish town of Sanliurfa, near the southern border with Syria.

At least 27 people have been killed after a massive explosion rocked the Turkish town of Sanliurfa, near the southern border with Syria.

The cause of the blast in the town -- which lies opposite the Syrian flashpoint of Kobani -- was not immediately clear.

But several media reports said it might have been a bomb and some commentators said it could have been the work of ISIL militants.

Several Turkish media reported fatalities and private television station NTV said earlier that at least 10 people had been killed.

Witnesses said fire broke out after the explosion and television footage showed ambulances rushing to the scene.

A Turkish government official confirmed to AFP that the explosion occurred in the garden of a culture center in Suruc. But he declined to provide any casualty figures.