HATAY, Turkey 

At least three people were killed after a vehicle exploded Friday in southern Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

“It is obvious that the car was bomb-laden,” Erdogan said in Istanbul after Friday prayer.

The explosion in Reyhanli, Hatay claimed three lives, all Syrian nationals, the president said citing Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu.

Erdogan also said the explosion is suspected to be a terrorist act according to the initial reports.

Earlier, the province's governor Rahmi Dogan told Anadolu Agency that the cause of the blast was yet unknown.

A large number of ambulances and police teams were dispatched to the scene immediately after the explosion.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz and Erdogan Cagatay Zontur