Series of explosions hits Istanbul municipal building

Istanbul: A series of explosions at a municipal government building in Istanbul slightly injured three people on Thursday, an official and Turkish news reports said.

Three blasts occurred near a municipal building in the Uskudar district, a municipal official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to journalists.

It was not immediately clear what caused the blasts and officials said police were investigating. The building houses the district's Parks Department.

Earlier reports said hand grenades were tossed into the building, but that could not be immediately confirmed.

The three injured were taken to a nearby hospital, private NTV television reported, citing Istanbul police chief Celalettin Cerrah. Hospital officials could not immediately be reached for comment.