Several explosions shook a municipal building in Uskudar district on the Asian side of Istanbul on Thursday injuring one person, news agencies reported.

One person wounded in blast - 07 / 08 / 2008 11:17

Several explosions shook an Istanbul municipal building on Thursday injuring one person, news agencies reported on Thursday.

One blast occurred in a garbage-collecting truck in the car park of the building in Uskudar on Istanbul’s Asian side.

The other two ripped through a neighboring cemetery, Uskudar mayor Mehmet Cakir told the state-run Anatolian Agency.

Cakir said that there was not any immediate reports of casualties but the blast caused minor damage to the building and some vehicles in the parking lot.

Broadcaster CNN Turk said hand grenades or small bombs designed to scare rather than kill are thought to have been used.

Police immediately sealed off the area.

Two people on a motorbike were seen fleeing the scene, TV channels also reported.

The wounded man suffered a minor leg injury, NTV television said.

Dogan News Agency also quoted witnesses as saying they heard four explosions.

This, if confirmed as a bomb attack, would be the second one in Istanbul in less than two weeks.