At least seven people have been killed and dozens wounded after a car bomb exploded close to a police station in the southeastern Turkish town of Gaziantep, a security source said.

According to local news reports, the town's governor Erdal Ata says the explosion was caused by a remote-controlled car bomb.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility but the region has seen frequent attacks by the Kurdistan Workers Party, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union. The group launched a separatist insurgency in the region 28 years ago.

It comes as the country has opened a centre in Gaziantep to receive international aid for Syrian refugees fleeing the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey is struggling to cope with an influx of almost 70,000 Syrian refugees.